Gatto
by Jadeah
Summary: It's a bit after Cesare's downfall, and now it seems that all is not as easy as it should be with the General in prisoned. T for swears and slight violence. R&R I really don't mind the comments.
1. An unexpected transformation

"Get him! He's getting away!"

Ezio was bursting at full speed over the roof tops, jumping gaps as he yelled over his shoulder, "I was shoved into you! Now leave me alone!" He stopped right in his tracks as the roof ended and let out to a six story drop! Ezio looked back at teh gaining guards, but there might even be the slightest chance he could reach the other side!

He took a step back and lundged, as he was inches away, his hands churned the air for a grip, and by some mericle he managed to latch a couple fingers to the edge. Unforchinately, his small victory was short lived as he felt a sharp pain to his shoulder. Taken by surprise his fingers released and he begun to fall! At first he was sure it would be a quick death to him, that he'd just break his spine or land of his head. To his amazement otherwize, he felt a hard slam as he hit a wooden platform, the air excaped from his lungs on impact, and he rolled off and slammed into something below. The light scent of freshly picked flowers was the last he sensed before everything faded.

* * *

><p>He felt as though he had been trampled on by a horse when he first started to collect his thoughts. But there was something else. The scent of flowers seemed to get more overpowering than before. And another smell hinted the air. He felt something on his face twitch, blood. The reak seemed to mingle with a variety of others that it took a moment for him to reconize.<p>

Somehow he could already see the soft petals in a flower cart before he even opened his eyes. He could overhear a group of people speaking, clearly about some Lugini character. But he tuned them out as he peered out over the side of the cart. He had to blink as bright light nearly blinded him, and when his eyes ajusted, he had wondered what had happened to his eye sight. The colors were ranging more than usual from intense to dull, like he wasn't even seeing through his own eyes.

"Hey? What are you doing in there?"

Ezio felt some new found body hair bristling up his spine as he looked aorund for the owner of the voice.

"Hello? I'm right here."

His ear twitched in the direct of the sound. _Wait, ears don't twitch._ He looked down at the person. Correction, not person, the cat! _And cats don't talk!_

"I haven't seen you around these parts." The cat went on. He was a ginger tabby tom with a spash of white fur on his chest and muzzle, his green eyes glowed with curiousity.

Ezio got lower in the cart. "I'm loosing it. It's just a nightmare and I hit my head a little too hard on the platform," He muttered to himself. Although it was more to assure him than anything.

"What's your name?" The ginger tom asked him.

Ezio blinked, "Ezio."

The tom mewed a friendly reply, "I'm Antonio." He took a couple steps back. "Why not come down here."

Ezio nodded hesitantly and was going to use his hand to fling him up and over the edge, but when he saw the dark brown paws that replaced them, he let out a yelp of surprise and stumbled backwards into the petals. He heard Antonio as he sprung up to the edge to fish him out, then felt the skin on the back of hsi neck be lightly bit as the ginger pulled him up.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "You're acting like you've never seen your own paws before."

Ezio was trembling now as he looked himself over, his body sleek, and covered in dark tortieseshell fur. A long and short furred tail twitched behind him. And he could feel claws as they slid out to grip the wood for a little more balance. Suddenly he felt sick, and was fighting the urdge to make a run for it.

"Ezio?" Antonio meowed in consern. But then he assured, "Why not you come with me. I have a good nest near some nice housefolk."

Ezio looekd back over himself, and finally took into note that his shoulder was encrusted with dry blood from the crossbow bolt wound. But he had no way to agrue. "Alright. I'll go with you."

If Antonio was a human, Ezio was sure he'd be smiling. The ginger tom laid his tail around Ezio's neck to guide him down and let him walk on his own as he trotted through the streets.

* * *

><p>Antonio stopped and looked over his shoulder to see Ezio still following. The sky was glowing a deep orange as sunset played on the horizon, bathing the cobblestone streets in the flamelike light, making the ginger tom's fur look as if on fire. WHen he stopped, there was a small wooden box with the bottom covered in hay as well as there being a dish of milk near it.<p>

"I'm sure they don't mind another cat." He told Ezio as he ofund a comfortable spot in the nest. Ezio simply sat down on the street. "Aren't you gonna come over here and get some rest?"

For a moment the now feline assassin hesitated in answering, consitering that he thought it would be ocward for him to be in the same bed as another man. He simply shook his head. "I'll just sleep on the ground."

A new mew came from a crack in the wall, "Antonio? Is that you?"

The ginger tom stood and came to the crack in the wall, "Angelia. It's me. I've brought a friend." He turned to Ezio. "Come here and meet my mate!"

Ezio padded up next to him, and peered inside the crack, a fluffy white she-cat with bright amber eyes looked to him. Her belly swollen with soon to come kits. "It's a pleasure."

The queen purred, "Any friend of Antonio is a friend of mine."

"I found Ezio coming out of a flower cart." Antonio explained.

"Now what where you doing in there?" She asked.

Ezio looked to his paws in embarrassment, "I... kind of... fell into it. From the rooftops."

"Now why would you even bother being up there?" Angelia let out a _mmrrow_ of laughter. Then she looked up at him again, "Oh my! You're shoulder! How bad is it? Does it hurt?" She hauled her self up on her short legs as she came up to examine it. "Please lay down so I can get a better look." Ezio obidiantly laid down as Angelia started to rasp her rough toungue over the wound and blood crust. He rested his head on his paws as he dozed off to the sound of her steady lapping.

* * *

><p>Ezio came too again, pale dawn light filtered in through the crack that lead into the small nursery. Angelia was resting on her side next to him, her white flank steadily raised and fell in time to her breathing. He stood up, ignoring his stiff limbs, and squeezed out and got just past Antonio.<p>

With a yawn, he arched his back extended his front legs out until he heard a crack, then found himself cleaning his bed matted fur. But it was his temparary substitute for a proper bath. As he was grooming, Antonio stood up and went aorund to the alley way. A few minutes later, he had returned with a few mice dangling out of his mouth by the tails.

When he put them down, he batted Ezio one with his paw, "Breakfast!" Ezio looked at the rodent for a long moment, wishing he could be having a normal breakfast. But his growling stomach and weakness from hunger made the mouse far too tempting. He settled down and bit into it. His eyes brightened as he tasted the sharp tang of warm blood and meat. In a few mouthfuls, he finished it off and licked around his muzzle for any last traces before scrapping the remains under some dirt in the corner.

A new thought came into his mind, _I can't stay like this! My friends! Claudia! Mother! They need me! I need to find Leonardo!_ At once he was sure of what he was going to do.

Looking around, he reconized some of the walls of the buildings around him. Maybe he could get to the hideout and find Machievelli.

Ezio slipped into the crack and looked at the two as Antonio and licking Angelia between the ears and she was craning her neck to lap at his muzzle. When he came in, the two stopped and the ginger tom greeted him kindly, "Hi, Ezio! Why not I show you some of the best place for hunting_"

"That's very kind of you," Ezio inturrupted. "But I must to be leaving. Thank you for letting me stay for the night. But I have to find someone."

Angelia tilted her head, "Who?"

"An old friend of mine," Ezio answered her. "I won't forget you. Addio (Goodbye)." He turned and slipped through the crack, leaving the two as he started towards finding his friend, and the only hope of him ever changing back to normal.


	2. Oh Leo!

Ezio padded down the streets alone. Antonio and Angelia behind him now. He only wished he could be normal now so he could ride a horse and get to Leonardo even faster. But because of his current small state, he wouldn't be able to mount one even if he liked to.

He came through a little part of Roma where he knew Leonardo worked now. It wasn't terribly far from the hideout to be honest. Why it took him so long to get there, well he was near Saint Peitro's to begin with.

The feline assassin kept to the side as he came past groups of people. And he found himself at the front door of his friend's workshop. For a moment, he wondered how he would knock. Finally he just decided to scrabble his paws on the wooden door, not truely wanting to scratch the oak wood.

There was the sound of something falling and clinking on the floor before the door was answered. Leonardo stood there, looking out at the streets as he searched for the knocker. Ezio mentally sighed to himself before meowing, "Hey, Leonardo! It's me!"

The blonde artist looked down, but he clearly didn't understand him. He crouched down and held a hand out to pet Ezio, his index finger lightly scratching him behind the ear. "Now what do we have here?"

"Leonardo, can't you tell? It's Ezio!" The assassin meowed.

The artist smiled calmly as he continued to pet him, soon coming to the wound on his shoulder. "Now how did this happen?"

"It was a crossbow bolt, now listen, I need you to help me change back." Ezio told him.

Leonardo picked Ezio up, "Let's get that fixed up, shall we?"

"Hey! Leo!" Ezio yelped as he squirmed against his friend's hold.

The artist placed him down on his workbench as he left the room to get something. When he returned, he had some proper bandages and begun to clean the wound before wrapping it up snuggly. He instected his work a moment, "That's better. Try not biting at the bandages."

Ezio sighed to himself, "Leo! For the last time! It's me! Ezio!"

Leonardo ran his fingers down his head and stood up. "Now you stay here while I find somewhere for you to sleep." As he stood up, Ezio grumbled incoharently as he laid down. He'd have to show his friend who he was another way.

An idea struck him, he shot up and lept down from the workbench and ran down to the other room, his luck that the door was wide open, and started to search through the papers.

"Wait! Get back here!" Leonardo came after him, but Ezio already found what he was looking for. He opened the plans for one of the things Leonardo built for him, the climbing glove. When Leonardo came in, Ezio prodded the paper with his paw.

Leonardo picked Ezio up, "Curious, aren't you?" He put him down on the chair and started to pick up the papers on the floor and replacing them on the shelves. "Now why not you come with me while I finish making that bed."

Grunting, Ezio followed the blonde out to the other room. In the corner, a wooden crate was being filled with hay. Leonardo finished and looked back at him. "Now if you'll try not to go through my work, I'd appreciate it."

Ezio found himself grumbling in his head, why couldn't Leonardo just see that this was his friend? It couldn't be that hard to figure this out!

Leonardo looked out the window, the sky dark. "It's late." He sighed/yawned. "Just try and sleep." He turned and walked toward's his bedroom, leaving Ezio in the main room alone. The assassin padded to the makeshift bed and curled up before falling asleep.


	3. Not a good day

Ezio woke up blinking sunlight from his eyes. With a vigerous stretch, he got up and looked around. Somehow finding a crack in the wall. He slipped through the narrow opening and started to nose around. Suddenly, he caught a familiar scent. He headed towards it to find a muddy cloth, taking another look, he saw that it was his assassin robes! And an idea came to mind.

He dragged the robes to a cleaner puddle to wash some of the mud off, then crawled into them. Poking his head out and trying to get his forepaws through the sleeves. Next thing he could tell, it started to shrink! Fitting down to his size. Although he still didn't have any pants, he felt a little less naked than before.

When Ezio returned to the workshop, Leonardo was sitting at his workbench with a paper and pencil. He seemed more consentrated on his work than anything else. He prodded at his leg to catch the artist's attention.

* * *

><p>Leonardo felt a poke to his leg and he grunted in complaint, he was quickly aware that he had fallen asleep at his workbench. He was so worked up over a new design that he barely even slept at all in his bed, and was worried he'd forget in the morning, so he had gotten up and started to jolt down the ideas. It wasn't even so rare an occurance that he would fall asleep at the table anymore. It seemed more a habit. Like how a child couldn't sleep without something, a blanket or a doll, it seemed like his little space for building and designs was like that.<p>

He sat up and looked down to what had prodded his leg, it was that cat that came to his doorstep. But to his amazement, he was wearing a tattered and stained cloth. He picked the cat up slowly to see exactly what it was better, and nearly dropped him with the realization that it was Ezio's assassin robes! Shrunken to cat size anyways.

"H-how did you get this?" Leonardo asked him, unable to think of another thing to say. But he was sure that the cat wouldn't know, let alone reply to, what he had said.

"_Now_ do you reconize me?" The cat meowed, his tone annoyed. It was surprising enough for his to drop the animal.

Leonardo jumped up from his seat in surprise, and he was well aware that he was staring with wide eyes in clear shock. "Y-you can't _talk_?"

The cat looked at him then to his paws, as if he were as stunned at the inventor. "Well that could have been useful yesterday!" He grunted in irritation.

"Wait, so you couldn't?" Leonardo was trying to force his heart to stop pounding over the cat as he spoke. Finally he just put his head in his hands and started shaking his head, blonde tuffs of hair waving through his fingers, "I've gone mad!"

The dark tortieshell tom was quick to reply, "But do you reconize me? At all?"

Leonardo looked back at him, and suddenly his mind flashed with realization, "E-Ezio?" And he quickly asked, "How on Earth did you turn into a cat?"

Ezio quickly explained, his voice partially a stur between actual words and meows. "I think it was the Apple. I don't know how. But I'm sure that the Apple must have something to do with this."

"And you couldn't talk before you found your robes?" Leonardo questioned.

"No. I'm not sure why."

"Maybe they were a connection to humans somehow." The blonde suggested.

"Well if that's the case, then it's good to know." Ezio meowed flatly. "Do you thing you can try finding a way to change me back?"

Leonardo scratched his friend behind the ear, "Do you really think I wouldn't?"

"I know you've been all worked up over your paintings lately." His tail pointed to the half finished piece that still stood on an easel. Leonardo had forgotten that when Ezio had being scratching at his door, he had dropped his paintbrushes, but was a little too shocked to try now.

The artist then told his friend, "I'll find some way to change you back, Ezio. I can promise you that much."

* * *

><p>Ezio had found himself comfortable in a nice sun warmed area on the window sill. He laid there on his back, half awake and half listening for any sign that Leonardo was even still alive.<p>

He pricked his ears and looked up when he heard something fall and a couple curses in Italian, and Ezio stiffled a chuckle at his friend's cluminess. He slowly closed his eyes as he found himself drifting to a light doze.

He woke up with a jolt with the sound of something fall, Ezio spung to his paws, looking aorund wildly. The room was dark and rain spattered on the glass, but there was still the sound of curses from Leonardo.

Before he could figure out exactly what was wrong, something grabbed him by the scruff and started to drag him, he was in a bad position to get any leverage enough to swipe his claws at the attacker, and finally retetched himself free. In fornt of him was a dark shape, its white teeth glinting in the dark and blazing amber eyes glaring at him. A low growl excaped from it's throat, and Ezio felt his ears pin back and his fur bristling as he snarled back.

The form ludged, biting down on Ezio's shoulder and dragging him across the floor. The feline assassin yowled as pain shot through him from the thing's razor teeth digging down in his body. He twisted aorund and slashed his claws across it's nose, feeling hot breath on his fur. But it was the little bit of damage he could inflict before the creature tackled him, pinning him down as he bit down on his neck. Just enough to subdue him, but not to the point where his throat would be damaged or he's die.

With Ezio in it's jaws, the thing begun to pad out of the workshop through the crack! Dragging the cat along like a trophy. THe last he heard of the room was Leonardo sputter, "E-Ezio? Ezio! Put him down! Get back here!"

It tossed Ezio, and he hit the wall. The thing approached, and with quick movements, it bit down on the robes, shaking him around until he slid free of the clothes and beugn to skid on the slick muddy ground and face planted into the wall. Enough to knock him out cold.

* * *

><p>It was only breif, but Ezio could see a plump faced man grab him by the scruff and pick him up to examine. "Ah, this one should make good profit..." Ezio begun to drift before he heard the rest.<p>

When he came back to his senses, he was laying on his side, a flat faced cat stared down at him, her fur long, gray and wispy. Her eyes like silver disks, "Hey, you're alive. I thought that wound would get you for sure!"

Ezio blinked, but sure enough, the wounds from the shadow creature were there, cleaned for something, and he somehow had the feeling that it was the cat's doing and not the captor. He got to his paws, his body shakey with dizziness. "Where am I?"

"You're in the merchant stand. We're all here waiting ot be sold."

Ezio stepped back in shock, "Sold?"


	4. You got the money?

Leonardo raced down the street, pushing past people and quickly apoligizing as he went, then stopped cold. "Ezio?"

At his feet was the soaked white and red robes, but they were vacant, the wearer gone. Slowly and hesitantly, Da Vinci picked up the clothes, and quietly asked, "Oh where could you be?"

* * *

><p>"Yes," The gray she-cat answered. "Why are you so surprised?"<p>

Suddenly, Ezio felt on the verge of collapsing, his whole body felt cold as stone. And found himself running in the other direction, his paws scrabbling on the ground as he pounced and hit the bars with his good shoulder. He yowled in dismay, "I don't belong here! Let me go!"

Something bit down on his tail and pulled him backwards, the she-cat was glaring with stern eyes, "Are you trying to get in trouble? And you're a stray right? Well of course there are some people who will pick you up to sell you. Why are you so surprised?"

Ezio swallowed hard, unable to gather the words to even begin to explain what happened. Instead, he laid back down. Wishing that he'd just be back to normal. This was deffinately a disaster...

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

Leonardo turned and hid the dripping robes behind his back, he found himself face to face with a brunette woman, her eyes a churning blue. The artist finally mustered enough of his racing mind back to reply, "Salve (Hello)."

"What's that?" She asked, clearly noticing the robes. Leonardo cursed to himself for being more than obvious.

"It's just... nothing..."

"It's something if you're hiding it." She teased, reaching behind him to snatch Ezio's robes. Leonardo twisted away to avoid her grasping fingers but her other hand took hold of the sleeve and pulled it away from him. "It's just a mini robe. What's the big deal?"

Leonardo felt the air catch in his lungs, he had no way of explaining it.

To his surprise, she smiled and jokingly flicked a finger at his forehead, causing him to briskly rub the stinging area where her nail grazed his skin without tearing it. "I'm guessing you're always this toungue tied."

Leonardo nodded, "Si... Have you happened to see a dark brown cat around here?"

She blinked, but the confusion was only seconds breif as she answered, "Yes I have. A man by the name of Lugini took it. He's a merchant in the Centro District who sells strays. You'll find him near the Rose in Fiore."

"Gazie (Thank you)."

The girl turned to leave, but before completely leaving the artist, she added, "Oh, and my name's Amantha."

Leonardo had to comprehend exactly why she had taken the extra moment to give him her name, but simply put it aside as he started to head in the direction of the place she had told him.

* * *

><p>"Go away!" Ezio hissed as a hand came to pick him up, the man jumped back with a startled look.<p>

Another cat glanced at him, "What's wrong with you? Don't you _want_ to get adopted?"

Ezio growled, "No! I don't! I don't belong here to begin with!"

The cat glanced at him oddly, his red-brown fur sleek and freshly groomed, as oposed to Ezio's; which was bristled and stuck up in someplaces where he didn't bother fixing up because he was more worried than usual. His tail twitching with irritation.

"Why do you want to get sold?" Ezio questioend. "Don't you have owners?"

"Well yes, but something dragged me out of their nest and the merchant found me."

"Then there you go! I want my _owner_ to find me!" Ezio spat. He didn't like referring to Leonardo as an owner. But he had to in this case...

His ears suddenly pricked when a new voice asked, "Hello? I'm looking for a cat."

Around him, five out of the felines looked up with a sparkle of hope in their eyes.

"Ah yes, I have a wide selection," The merchant bellowed. "Why not you look around and see if you can find one you like."

"Thank you."

A head then looked down from the top opening of the cage, his blonde hair fell in front of his face and blue eyes searched the group with the look of trying to find a lost child. Leonardo.

Most of the cat had padded up to greet the artist, hoping for his to choose one of them. But meanwhile Ezio called from the back, "Leonardo! I'm here!"

His friend looked right to him, "There you are!" His voice pounding with releif. He moved away form the cage as he went to address the merchant, "Excuse me? How much for the tom back there?"

The merchant looked at Ezio for a moment and chuckled, "I'll be nice to you, he's normally 500 _f_, but I'll take off a fifth of that."

Ezio scrapped the ground with his claw unseathed, he was well aware of how Leonardo was so short on money lately, and that the price of himself was probably too much.

"Are you sure you don't mean another cat?" The blonde asked.

"No I'm sure. Now do you got the money or not?" The merchant then added, "I've got other brozers who were interested in him too."

_Yeah, until I scared them off._ Ezio thought bitterly.

"We could trade." Leonardo mentioned. "I've got a nice painting you could have in exchange."

"No, idiota (idiot), you've gotta pay in money."

"I'll have the money, but not at the moment." Leonardo told him lowly.

"Then get lost, I don't need dead-beats like you lingering."

The feline assassin dug his claws into the ground with a low growl, how dare he talk to his friend that way!

There was the sound of footsteps, and Ezio guessed that Leonardo had left. With a hiss, he hurtled every last insult he could think of at the merchant then laid down in disapointment. Not only was his friend unable to get him out, but not even his harsh words would prove anything to another but another cat.


	5. Rosa in Fiora

Ezio found himself woken up by a faint whisper, "Caro Dio, mio amico! Risvegliare! (Dear god, my friend! Wake up!)" He blinked his golden eyes open and looked around, and saw a pair of green eyes staring back beyond the cage. Lights form the building lit his ginger pelt to look as if they were flames.

"Antonio?" Ezio stood up on stiff legs, and he had to ajust his eyes to see a white fluffy shape behind him, "Angelia?"

"It seems you've gotten yourself in a situation." Antonio purred. "Do need a hand?"

Ezio nodded feebily, Leonardo wasn't able to get him out, so letting another cat try was probably just as productive as that.

The ginger tom padded around and bit down on a catch; if Ezio were on human, or had hands at least, he'd be able to undo it and release himself. But his paws were all too useless. After a few minutes pulling, there was a creak and the metal door swung open. Ezio stepped out and touched noses with his friend thankfully. "Gazie (Thank you)."

"Padre (Father)? Who is this?" A small mew came from near Angelia.

"It's fine, Annette. He's a friend." Anotnio assured.

From where Angelia stood, four small kittens stood with her. Three toms, two of them ginger like there father, and the third white like his mother; the fourth kit a fluffy white she-cat with silverish gray eyes that resembled neither parent. The toms all trampled toward Ezio, trying to knock the well musculed feline over.

"Who is he?" The white she-cat kitten asked as she eyed her brothers as they were scrabbling on Ezio's brown fur.

"This is Ezio, Annette." Angelia told her.

Ezio commented with a low purr, "Your kits are just like you. You must be proud."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Antonio replied.

Ezio nodded and gently shook himself to get the three toms off. "I have to find someone."

"Is it the same person?"

"Si (Yes)." Ezio meowed.

"Well I hope you find him soon." Angelia told him as she begun to lead her kittens away as Anotnio followed. Ezio watched them leave and begun to pad towards the direction of Leonardo's house, very well aware that he was near the Rosa in Fiora.

In a few moments, he heard footsteps and looked behindhim to see a corsettiant, her brown hair done up and red dress flowing as she walked. The feline froze, wondering weither she'd notice him. And sure enough, as she passed, she stopped dead and kneeled down. "Ora, che cosa abbiamo qui (Now, what do we have here)?" She lightly scratched Ezio's ear and he had tried and failed in suppressing a content purr. "Would you like to come with me?"

Ezio thought for a moment, and realized that she was going to take him off the streets, but his lack of reply ment she could to her. She rung her arms around and picked him up, gently petting him as she walked toward the Rosa in Fiora. Ezio grunted to himself, this was the opposite of progress at all.

* * *

><p>Leonardo came to the merchant again the next day, "Do you still have that cat?"<p>

"No, he's gone." The merchant grumbled.

The artist felt his eyes peel open wider with disbeleif, "Che? Che è successo a lui? Dove si trova? (What? What has happened to him? Where is he?)"

"Calmati, signore (Calm down, Sir)!" He only glared. "The mangy flea bag excaped somehow last night. Don't ask me how, because I have the foggiest clue. You might just find him on the streets."

Leonardo didn't know whiether to be calmed, worried, or angry. Maybe calmed because Ezio wasn't in a big mix of cats anymore, worried because he was clueless of where he could be, and angry because it took him all yesterday to sell a painting to get the money to _buy_ his friend back! Regardless he just gave him an agrivated glare and turned to leave. The usually cheerful man blistering with impatiants.

* * *

><p>Ezio blinked his eyes open and drew from the cusion of the chair he had dozed on, his paws exhausted from the walking and being woken so late. The corsettiant had brought him back to the bruffel. And she was speakng with Claudia about letting him stay. His mother had been fine with the idea, but his sister was more or less sure tht there was no need for a cat to be here to ge tin the way. When Claudia did come out of the room she and the corsettiant had gone into to speak, she lightly scratched Ezio behind the ear.<p>

"Lucky you, you get to stay here for a little bit." Her hand moved to the crossbow bolt wound, "Why not we see to this?" She carefully undid the bandages Leonardo had set to inspect it, but was surprised to see it was already clean. "Well then, I'll just give you some fresh bandages then." She threw the old away and rewrapped the wound, being gentle.

Ezio was about to thank her when he remembered that she wouldn't understand him. Instead he pushed him forehead into the palm of her hand and purred to show his thanks, dispite feeling more embarrassed about how he had to use bod launguage when he'd usually just speak.

* * *

><p>It was later in the evening when Ezio came into his sister's room, she was holding her head in her hands and looked at her lap silently. Ezio crooked his head, it was a total change from the comfident woman he had seen running the bruffel eariler. He padde dup to her bed and jumped up beside her, and brushed his flank against her elbow and lightly purred to let her know he was there.<p>

Claudia looked down and scratched Ezio on the scruff, she smiled weakly. "I know you probably don't know what I'm say. But you're lucky to be a cat. You don't have to deal with such problems that I do." A pang of curiousity came into Ezio and he looked right up at her and willed her to continue. "I know my brohter is here in Roma, but he hasn't come in so long. It's almost as if he's dead." She sighed, and made Ezio wish he could talk he could say he was alive. "Mother's sure he's fine, but I don't know. I wonder now if he just chooses to make us worry so much." She balled her hand into a fist as she stopped petting Ezio. "He's so thick headed sometimes! I don't know why he thinks he's invincible, but he does! I wish he'd just learn that he's making everyone nervous!" She took a slow breath, "I'm just worried. He hasn't been seen by anyone as far as I know. I hope he's alright." Ezio couldn't help the wave of guilt, here his sister was worried sick about him, and he was sitting right beside her and completely unable to assure her. "I swear, it feels like he so close right now. But he's not... He's probably off throwing himself into danger."

Ezio pressed himself closer to try reassuring her, but Claudia didn't seem to react. She was jsut staring at the ground.

"If you do understand me, then I'm sorry for letting you share my own worries." She told him at last, and she carefully placed him down on the floor.

Ezio gave his sister one last wispful look before padding out of the room and to the chair he had woken up in. He circled aorund in it and tucked his tail over hsi nose, his mind swimming with concern for his only family left.


	6. Stray Strength

Leonardo pitched the bridge of his nose with his index and middle finger as he sighed, his friend was missing all night, and now he looked out to the bright morning and wished he at least knew where his friend could have turned up. With a discontent grumble, he reexamined the Apple, trying to find a way to turn his friend back to a human being, but was hoping that Ezio would be able to find his own way back.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Leonardo was quick to hide the Apple in a secret compartment in his desk, then found himself tripping on a still wet painting, the teal of a shirt smeared on his cheek and he grunt in discontent before setting the painting back and answering the door.

It was his neighbor, he was slender and older than the painter, and he blinked his hazel eyes with surprise to see the paint on Leonardo's face, "My my, did you get tired of a canvas?"

Leonardo sighed, his own worries for his friend and the bad start to his morning and smearing the hard work of his near completed painting had set him into a bad and very sinical mood. "Yes, because everyone here knows that I'll waste my time, effort, and supplies on painting myself."

His neighbor crooked his head, "I'll guess you broke something."

"No." Leonardo grunted. "I put a couple months of hard work in bane."

"Okay, you're in a very bad mood." He replied. "That's so unlike you."

"Just that I thought that the painting that I tripped over would make some decent profit is all." Leonardo lied. He had been consitering what he could do with the painting, but selling it seemed pointless.

"I'll leave you be." His neighbor left.

"Wait! Why did you come?" Leonardo asked.

"Rosa tells me you've been looking for a cat," He answered. "I just wanted to see what was going on."

Leonardo felt slightly guilty for the rude behavour towards him, he only ment well.

* * *

><p>Ezio stood up and stretched on the chair with a long yawn, feeling the crack before hopping down to the floor and heading towards the door. Looking at the clock, he realized he had slept in longer than he had intended. The bruffle had already begun to grow active, his mother standing by a table and speaking to Claudia. He padded up to listen with an edge of curiousity.<p>

"_But Mother," Claudia sounded as if she were concerned. "What do you think happened to him? He hasn't been around in ages!"

His mother shook her head slowly, "I know my children, Claudia, and Ezio can take care of himself. If I didn't think that then I wouldn't have let her fight for so long."

"You were silent for a several log years!" Claudia argued. "You wouldn't speak to anyone, at least, not until Ezio had come along and brought you a hundred or so feathers!" Her voice dropped a little so at Ezio had to prick his ears more to listen to her add, "What if he was captured? Or killed? How should I know you won't go back to your prolonged silence? I hated seeing you like that when we were at the Villa..." She trailed off.

Ezio blinked in suprise as Maria placed her hands down on Claudia's shoulders, "I'll be fine. I promise you that much."

Claudia looked staight at her with misty eyes, clearly fighting back tears as she asked, "Promise?"

Maria nodded, "You and Ezio are all I have left. I'd do anything now for you. But it's clear that Ezio can care for himself. He hasn't needed me to watch for him for a long time. I'm sure he has a clue what he's doing."

THe feline assassin couldn't push away the heavy cold stone that became of his eart, if only he could tell them he was safe. His paws dragged, unwilling to leave them, but eh had to find a way back to normal as soon as possible. "I'll be back Claudia, I promise!"

His sister showed no sign of hearing, let alone understanding, what he said. With a puff of assperated air, Ezio left, trying to push his feelings alside to find his way back to the workshop.

"Well well. Look what we have here. One of the brothel girls?"

Ezio swung around to see five strays, big, muscular, and scarred, staulking towards him. The apparent leader, a heavy set gray tom with a white under belly and muzzle as well a a long pink line across his shoulder where fur never grew back from some wound, came in front. Ezio felt his fur prickle and his claws draw out as he crouched a little lower in a defensive pose and hissed.

"So whose the soft-hearted coward?" Another cat, a pale brown and wirey furred she-cat, her amber eyes glinting with cockiness.

"Just another of the pathetic house folk toys," a large black tom with a splash of white fur on his ears laughed.

"You don't know who you're dealing with." Ezio growled.

The leader came closer, mere paw steps away, his voice clearly defiant, "If you're so tough, then why live at the brothel? You clearly aren't a tom!"

"If you don't leave me be then we'll see whose still a tom!" Ezio hissed back. His claws itched to rake through this mangy pest's skin, but he managed to keep his ground.

The leader drew his lips back in a snarl, revealing yellow fangs and broken teeth, his tail titching. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that! Do you even know who I am?"

"Another big headed flea bag wh thinks that he owns the city!" Ezio growled.

The leader stepped back, and pointed his tail to Ezio, as a signal for his followers to attack. The wirey she-cat and the black tom lundged at Ezio, and the assassin barely ducked form their claws and rolled away, and gave a strong kick to the tom's side, causing him to scramble for balance. The she-cat growled and came at him again, sinking her teeth down in his shoulder, a swee of pain wealed in him as he was shaken around, the tom regaining his balance and coming back, biting down in his leg as he begun to batted Ezio's flank with his hind paws.

The two others, a white and sleek tom and a dark ginger tom, both joined in, each finding a place to rake their claws at and bite. Ezio continued to flail about, his front paws churning the air as he attempted to bat the black tom from his flank. Finally after what seemed like an hour of struggle, the four managed to pin him, the leader stepped forward, eyes gleaming, "I'll enjoy this."

"Cazzo sei (Fuck you)!" Ezio spat. His sides heaving from the fighting and trying to excape the four's hold.

The leader craned his head down and begun to close his jaws around Ezio's throat, but the assassin lundged forward, snapping his own hold on the leader's neck. He begun to clap down, the four cat started to claw again, he he forced all the pain to give strength to his laws as he heard a sickening crunch. He released his hold and the leader fell to the ground, eyes open as well as mouth in a last moment snarl. The eyes were clouded over, and Ezio scrambled from the four's hold in their distraction and shock to see their leader dead before them.

"No!" The wirey she-cat yowled as she lundged to Ezio, claws unseathed and landed on him, bowling him over as she begun to slice through him with fury each swipe of her paws. Ezio scrambled, then excaped and turned, when she came to jump again, he sent his hind legs back, giving a strong kick to her head. The she-cat felt with a dredful thud, the three toms only stared with eyes the size of melons at their knocked out companion.

Ezio, heart racing and fighting to breath a little easier, puffed, "If you know what's good for you, you'll stop you're attack here."

The ginger tom, the last to attack, looked at him, "She... She was my mate... You MONSTER!"

Ezio glanced at the she-cat at him feet, "Well she shouldn't have lundged at me."

"Not her! You MURDERED my mate!" His tail low as he touched the leader's fur with his nose.

Ezio blinked, he could have sworn the leader was a tom, but then again, he hadn't looked at her long enough to see weither he was right or not. "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have attacked me if you weren't willing to face a sacrific." Ezio turned, the new wounds overed him, as he left the three toms. His paws sore form the fight, and he was sure he'd retched a claw, he found a sheltered area and begun to clean himself. Wincing away whenever he hit the sting of another cut.


	7. Nanda

Ezio rasped a tongue over the wounds, drawing away when he felt the sting. He pricked his ears for danger now, hoping no one would come after him. He shivered at the thought of a Borgia guard picking him up and taking him home, more so at the thought of it be Cesare! "Cazzo (Fuck), why am I wasting tome thinking of such?" He continued to lap over the cuts.

After he had finished, he stood up and begun to move once more. Wondering now if he'd see Antonio. Ezio chuckled as he remembered meeting his kits, the little ones scampered all over him. And now here he was, alone once more.

Out of nowhere, Ezio heard a sudden yowl, his ears pricked to locate the sound, and he could feel them turn and twist on his head. HWhen he concured that it was form behind, he turned and raced toward the source. Curiousity and worry flooding over him and making his paws push harder to give him longer strides. He stopped cold when he saw a tiny kitten, paralized with fear right at the feet of the stray cats who attack him eariler.

The black tom laughed and jumped on the kitten, with no show of gentleness as he bit on the kit's scruff and rattled him around! Ezio couldn't take the sight of this any longer.

"Leave the little one alone!" He growled as he unseathed his claws and pulled his lip back to snarl at the assulters.

The kitten, who was a small silver tabby with white paws except for his front left which was a splash of black that matched his ears, hung limply in the tom's jaws and showed no sign of still living. More concern pulsed through Ezio as he hoped the kit would rouse soon.

THe black tom spat the kit's scruff out and got low on his huches as he reached himself to leap, "Well if it isn't the knight in shining armor."

"Leave the kit alone," Ezio repeated his warning, ready for a fight.

The brown wirery she-cat spat, "And do you think you're so terrific?"

"I have moral values!" Ezio pointed out with a hiss. "Something you seem to lack!"

The black tom glared at him, then told him coolly, "You want the kit... you'll have to get it first!" He was fast as he took the kit by the scruff, earning a mew of protest, and bolted away with his three companions with him. Ezio pelted after them, passing through people's legs and jumping up crates to catch up. The cats begun to scramble up a slope, and Ezio suddenly realized what they had planned, they were going to throw the kit in the Tiber!

The four jumped up on the side of the bridge, Ezio scrambling after them. The black tom held the kitten over the churning water, the kit wailed and cried at it tried to excape. Ezio lept up at them, his paws scrmabled for a grip as they backstepped out of the way just in time for him to skid past and over the edge!

Ezio hit the water, and only heard bubbles and the water around him move as he churned his paws up to the surface. He poked his head above the surface, just in time to see the black tom still holding the kit over the river.

"You want the kit?" It was that dark ginger tom. "Then you can have it!"

With those words, the black tom released, letting the kit fall down and land into the water with a small splash. Ezio begun to swim through the river, searching the dark water desperately for the kit.

A little darkened sliver head opped at the surface, and Ezio could hear a feeble coughing fit as he came towards it. He grasped the kitten by the scruff, and begun to paddle towards the docks. His lungs desperate for air by the first few minutes.

WHne he reached the wooden platform, it dawned on him that he couldn't get up, his legs too short to reach the top. Then he heard a surprised meow.

"Ezio? What are you doing?"

The feline assassin looked up to see Antonio and Angelia looking down at him, and he held the kit a bit higher so they could see. Antonio reached down and took the kitten's scruff and lifted it over to the surface, then bent down for Ezio, Angelia doing the same. With a few heaves they hauled Ezio over the edge and he flopped exhausted on the wooden ground panting.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the kitten's flank slowly raise and fall, he had saved it.

* * *

><p>"Ezio? Ezio?" THe voice was jarred and jumbled, almost like an echo. The assassin lifted his head slowly to see a couple pairs of cat eyes staring down at him.<p>

"Antonio?" He asked horsely. "H-how's the kit doing? Did it make it?"

Angelia looked over her shoulder then back, "Yes Ezio, you've saved her. She told us how you had chased the strays down the street until the were forced to drop her in."

Ezio sighed with releif, "Did she say anything else?"

"She said her name was Nanda." Antonio explained. "From the sounds of it, she doesn't want to leave you."

Ezio felt a little more exhausted then before, "But I still have to find my friend!"

"And what's so wrong about her coming with you?" Angelia asked.

"Nothing." Ezio sighed. "Alright, she can come with me. But only for a little while. I know a place she could stay safely."

Angelia and Antonio nodded in agreement and let Ezio get up to see the kit. Her eyes shined a brilliant and most unusual jay blue. When she saw Ezio she came stumbling up to him, "You're alive! Thank you for what you did! I don't know how to swim." She looked down wispfully at her long and slender legs. "So where are we going?"

"I have to find a friend of mine." Ezio told her.

"Why?"

"I'll explain later, alright?"

"So this is an adventure?"

"Something like that." Ezio told her.

"Yay!" She jumped and tumbled around with excitement clearly eager to go with him. Ezio started toward Leonardo's workshop once more, Nanda trotted behind him with a spring in her step. An innocent kit.

* * *

><p>Ezio stopped, sniffing the air when he picked up the stench of those strays, he brought Nanda closer to his flank to keep her safe from them.<p>

"Well well. If it isn't Prince Charming."

Ezio turned to see those four again, he then whisper to the kit by his side quietly, "Now on my signal, I want you to run as fast you can. Don't wait up for me, no matter what. Got it?"

Nanda nodded slowly.

The dark ginger tom approached, his eyes gleaming. "I'm amazed. You're more a fish than a cat."

Ezio twitched his whiskers.

"But, I think it's time to settle the score."

Ezio remained composed.

THe tom glanced down at the kit, and lept at her.

"Run! Now!"

Nanda turned and rushed away with the dark ginger hard on her paws. Her long legs giving her the advantage as she pelted away. The others came at Ezio, ramming at him and biting him. One by one, Ezio wretched him off then scrambeld to catch up with the kit he was suppost to protect.

The reak of blood hit his nose, _No! Am I too late?_ He thought horrified. He stopped suddenly to see the kit trembling, her paws stained with blood as the dark ginger's flank raised and fell slower and slower until it finished.

"I-I killed him." She mewed shakily with shock.

Ezio found himself in disbelief, he didn't expect her to be able to kill one of them.

"Come, we must keep going before they_"

"Falco!" Wailed the brown wirey she-cat. She pelted at Ezio with anger, her weight plus speed being enough to knock him over and into the nearest wall, he was in an instant black void.


	8. Double trouble

Something rough and raspy scrapped over Ezio neck fur. He couldn't even open his eyes to see what was lapping gently against him, only grunt to alert them that he was awake.

"Calmati (Calm down). You're alright." A voice soothed.

Ezio finally put all the strain he could on his eyes to open them, and blinked at the sudden light that nearly blinded him. Nanda was sitting with him, carefully cleaning him.

"Where are we?" He croaked.

"Don't worry, I lost them on the chase."

Ezio stood up unsteadily and stretched until his legs trembled from the departing stiffness. "You chased the strays?"

"No, they chased me." She mewed. "I had to drag you most of the way and found this place where you'd be safe. They are far to big to fit."

Ezio looked at the narrow opening that had sent bright like into the small den. It was narrow enough for a slender kitten like Nanda, but it surprised him that she had somehow dragged him in the same way. But he didn't dare question how she had managed to do such.

"So who is Leonardo?"

Ezio turned to her, wondering how she was aware of his friend. "He's.. my handler." He lied.

"So you're a housecat?"

Ezio nodded slowly, agreeing with her so she wouldn't suspect the truth.

"How did you get separated from him?" She asked him with bright, curious eyes.

Ezio puffed a sigh, "You have many questions, unfortunately I cannot answer them all." He added slowly, "Do you understand?"

She held his gaze, her jay blue eyes peircing as if she were reading his own mind. She dipped her chin as a sign she heard him.

"Bene (Good). Now come, we must be go." Ezio turned and squeezed through the entrance, ignoring the brushing of his fur to the edge. Nanda squeezed through behind him, more smoothly with her slender feline form. She fell in step with the older tom as they continued. Ezio kept his mouth slightly agate and his ears pricked for the slightest scent or sound that'd alert the stray's presense.

"So how did you kill that tom cat back at the alley?" Ezio asked.

Nanda's fur bristled, and she shook herself as if to settle it. She answered slowly, "He was going to_." Her voice trailed and her fur rebristled along witht eh unsheathing of her claws. "They're following us."

Ezio's stared raked instintively across the rooftops for a single silloette that'd give up their location.

"Well looks like the little kit can tell when someone is there better than the bastardo vecchio (old bastard)." Ezio and Nanda swung around to see the dakr ginger tom and the wirey brown she-cat.

"Can't you find something better than stalking us?" Ezio growled as he got ready to leap if he need to.

The wirey brwon she-cat hissed, "I was only follow my friend!"

THe dark ginger raked his glare from Ezio to Nanda, "I could've sworn I smelled heat."

Nanda grew ridged.

"Leave us be, or you'll end up like your friends!" Ezio threatened.

The she-cat swung her paw, claws unsheathed, at Ezio, only barely missing. "You are a murderer!"

"I was only defending myself from your leader!"

"She was a _queen_! You killed you! Her and her kits!"

"She would've killed me if I hadn't done so first!" Ezio growled back, although he felt as if a knife had cut through him, knowing he had killed a few innocent lives before they even got to see the world.

The dark ginger hissed, "Did it dawn on you that she didn't attack? She let us pin you! She was just standing and waiting!"

"And then she had tried to bite my throat apart." Ezio finished with a sneer.

THe dark ginger finally lundged at Ezio, bowling the assassin over and holding him down with a paw to the chest. He drowled, "You killed my best friend! And Falco's death will not be in vein!" He brought his jaws to climp down on Ezio's throat, but the struggling feline had planned for this. Ezio kicked the ginger tom, sending his opponant back as his forepaws churned the air to balance himself, then, using his muzzle, he shoved the dakr ginger cat over the side of a close by fence. The last sound was a startled yowl and a loud slash as he hit the water.

Ezio jumped onto the fence as saw the dark shape slowly dissapear into teh murky depths.

"No!" Before Ezio could tell, he felt a shape agony take him, the she-cat stepped back with a paw held up, claws stained crimson. With new foudn weakness, Ezio's legs gave way and he landed hard. The wirey she-cat glared, "Goodbye you bastardo vecchio (old bastard)." She turned and sent her hind legs hard against his flank and sent him falling. He hit the water, too far gone to try to swim ot the surface. He only watched with darkening vision as the water aorund him turned deep red, and the lure of dark overtook him.

* * *

><p>Leonardo jumped with surprise at the sound of a cat's wail, he turned back to the merchant and paid him the florines before turning with the food he had bought and racing toward the sound's source.<p>

He dropped the basket in shock when he saw a wirey, pale brown cat rake it's claws through a dark tortiseshell's neck! The darker cat grew unsteady before falling over, the pale brown kicked it's side and sent the tortiseshell over the side, giving off a _ker-plunk_ when it hit the Tiber.

The artist dropped the basket and shooed away the cats, staring down into teh murky water, that was his friend! He had to save him! He took off his hat, leaving the red satin to sit on the side as he jumped over and landed shoulder first into the water. He could barely see as he pushed his way through the water. And yet he thought of how Ezio was one of the better swimmers he knew, and tried to pretend he were nearly as good at it as the golden eyed assassin. His lungs screamed for air as he pushed forward. His fingers came around something squishy. His hand trailed up until he felt a smooth surface that gave way to a crevas lines with jagged extentions, the inventor pulled his hand away as he realized it was a human skull! He reached out again, and felt his fingers sweep over a silky feeling brush. His hands enclosed around it, and realized it was a cats body, although not yet a carcus.

He took it in his arms as he begun to kick and churn the water to resurface. The air in his lungs almost forcing itself to excape to take a breath. The light from the sun begun to peirce through the muck so Leonardo could see it, he was so closer. Then a silloette came straight into him, knocking the air from him in a large bubble as he took in water! THe world excaping him as the last thing he saw were a pair of dark shadowy hands grasp him.


	9. Fever

With a sudden choked gasp, Leonardo pushed away a pair of hands as they started to touched his shoulders, he turned over so he faced what he hoped was land and begun to expell the water in choked coughs. His heard his heart slamming in his chest and his arms shakey as he fell to the ground and took in the air to replace the water. His vision blurred and crossing as he looked up at the shape of his savior, he appeared rather average.

He blinked away the water and ajusted his eyes enough to see who this person was. To his surprise, it was Machiavelli staring back at him with eyes beaming with worry. THe artist took a shakey breath and greeted with a rasped croak, "Salve (Hello)."

"Why did you jump into the river?" He was quick to get to the point.

Leonardo looked around him for his friend. His saw the pile of dark, wet fur not far from him. "I was trying to save a cat." He knew how strange it must have sounded, especially to the philosopher.

"Un gatto (A cat)?" Machiavelli echoed. "You drowned yourself for a cat?"

Leonardo wished he could tell the man that the cat he had pulled from the river was Ezio, but he was sure that he wouldn't believe him. He decided to make an apparent subject change, "Has Ezio been around Roma recently?"

Machiavelli shook his head, "Not as far as I know. Last I had heard, he was going to get the Apple from you so he could hide it somewhere." Leonardo was very well aware that Ezio and the other assassins had gotten Cesare arrested not too long ago. But with Ezio a cat now, he had to try and find a way to change him back before hsi friend could hide it away form the world.

"Well I haven't seen him," Leonrdo lied. He sat up and grunted as he pulled himself to his feet, carefully picking up the wet bundle. He moved his hand away from his friend's neck as he felt skicky red blood ooze onto his fingers.

"What happened to that cat?" Machiavelli asked him. "It looks like it was slashed by a sword."

"I saw another cat attack it," Leonardo explained. "So I pulled it from the river."

"Well it surely can't still be alive." The man pointed out.

The artist looked down at the soggy fur covered creature hanging limply in his grip, he could barely feel a feeble thump where his fingers pressed to the cat's chest. He was alive, but barely.

"I have to get back to my workshop." He gave Machiavelli a nod, "Thank you for fishing me out of the Tiber."

He left as he picked up the basket of food and his hat, leaving the man to stand there and watch him depart.

* * *

><p>The artist carefully laid Ezio down on the worktable as he started to stitch the wound closed, trying to be as gentle as he could. Ezio felt hotter than he had remembered, and started to wonder if it was because something in the river came in through the wounds he bore.<p>

* * *

><p>With ringing ears and the roar of blood ot his ears, Ezio rose his head to look around. The walls of a wooden box surrounded him, and he begun to wonder, was he back with Leonardo? But where was Nanda?<p>

THe assassin stood up and flopped back down in the hay lined crate, to weak to move. He couldn't push a feeling of cold and a headach which pounded the inner walls of his skull. For some reason as well, he felt something odd brushing his pelt. He looked down and around as he saw that it was his robes! He was back with Leonardo!

"Ezio?" A voice rang, to him it sounded distant and distorted by his heart pounding, almost like it had bounded off the walls of a cave before reaching him.

"L-Leonardo?" He grunted tiredly, he could see the inventor sitting on the wooden stool near his workbench, watching him calmly. But the skin under his friend's eyes sagged and wrinkled, giving away that he was clearly sleep depribed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked him.

Ezio thought. "I don't know the _polite_ word for it," He confessed.

Leonardo stood and shuffled over, carefully placing a hand on Ezio's forehead, "As I suspected, you have a fever, my friend. I don't know if it'd be wise to try anything with the Apple until you're feeling like your old self again."

Ezio sighed, "Fine." Then another thought came back, "Where is Nanda?"

"Who?" Leonardo stared at him with confusion in his sky blue eyes.

"A cat I met," Ezio explained. "She's saved me from a few close calls."

"There was one cat who had followed me back. I had to be sure to close off my workshop after the second time it had slipped in." His friend answered.

"Was this cat a gray taby with blue eyes?" Ezio asked his friend as he hauled himself to sit.

"Si, the eyes on it were like a bluejays feathers." Leonardo told him.

"That's her!"

"I'm sorry, if I'd known then I'd have let her stay." Leonardo looked out at the window, only to see rain slapper the glass panels as a storm radged on outside. If he were to find this cat, he'd have to look when this rain let up.

* * *

><p>Nanda glared at the clear, sleek panels that glowed from a light source inside the nest. Her "friend" was in there. Or she thought he was. She had watched as the housefolk took him home, and she wanted to be with Ezio, but was thrown out twice already by the blonde upwalker. She thought Ezio would protect her, and be with her. But she was wrong. She was dead wrong. Now here she was, her claws scrapped the cobblestone as rain water soaked through her fur and chilled ehr to the bone. She shivered against the cold. she turned form the nest, he clearly didn't need her.<p>

She looked down at her belly, if only he knew what had really happened. Nanda shivered in rememberance. Dispite what that old tom thought, she was actually seasons old now, she was not a kitten. Her downey fur and small size only gave her that appear. And now here she was, and if only she could change time so she did drown in the river. It would have ended her misery.

"It's funny how we think we know someone." A voice meowed from the shadows.

Nanda's fur bristled and she drew out her claws to full extent, "Stay away from me!"

The voice was even and calm, but there was a cool edge to it. "They act as if we're the world, and that we are their world. But when we least expect it, they turn a blind eye, and they leave us to someone else." The shape of the cat moved through the shadows until she was next to Nanda, her eyes glowing like pale, green lanturns. "Join me, and I'll make sure nothing ever hurts you again."

Nanda couldn't force away the gaze, almost like a tranze. Just the way the cat spoke, how her eyes gleamed and called to her as if about to wisp her away to her dreams. She couldn't refuse, no matter how much she'd have loved to. "I'll join you."

**And now I leave you guys at a cliffhanger. I would've posted a bit earlier, but my computer logged me out and I had to retype it.**


	10. Where are my Wares?

Ezio stood on unsteady legs as he padded toward the dor. Leonardo slept soundly at his work ench, a piece of paper with half finished scematitics on it, Ezio could barely remember him coming in, but he was kept awake the rest of the night by the inventor talking t himself. Although he was quiet, Ezio still had better hearing than when he was human, and therefore had a harder time pushing away the noises he heard so clearly.

The feline slipped through a crack in the door and came to the streets, the air heavy with fog and the cobblestone dappled in gray puddles. Predawn light barely broke through the light clouds billowing overhead, and the breeze only brought the scent of more rain on the way. It would be forchanate if the next shower weren't so much a storm at the one last night.

Ezio opened his mouth slightly to let smells drift in, when he picked up Nanda's it was faded. Most likely from the rain. So the assasin begun to follow it, creeping down the alleyways until he came to a worn down building. He slipped in, his pelt ruffled up from the cold and his fever. The inside was in no better condionsion than the outer walls. The ground coated in dirt, old furniture covered in white sheets which had a layer of dust from many years of lacking a proper cleaning. Most of the paintings were either distoried or on the floor, above them was left a faded square where they used to hang proudly in this house's time of life.

In the dirt, Ezio could make out many different sets of paw prints as they all tred in one direction, either going to or coming from the same room. He begun to follow, well aware of the scent of many cats filling his nose. He came into the next room, the only light filtered in form a hole in the roof far above Ezio's head, and the dirt trial came to an end at a square on the floor. In the dim light, the assassin wasn't sure what hte shape was until he prodded it a couple times, only to find a wooden trap door, opened and far too heavy for him to lift in his current state. With an asperated sigh, he realized he'd need Leonardo's help after all.

He turned and begun to leave the crumbled building and into the roads once more, nearly to get stepped on my a horse's hoove as it stepped a few millimeters from his head with a loud clop. With surprise, Ezio stumbled backwards, and watched as it reared around the corner and the horse's trot stopped. Although it didn't seem to fade away, it just stopped. Ezio beugn to go after it until he came aroudn the corner to see the man dismounting in front of Leonardo's workshop. It was a rather plump man in fancy clothes. He extended his claws, that was the merchant!

The man knocked on the door with a large hand and waited as the artist answered the door. Ezio came closer to hear what they were saying.

"I told you that if you don't have the money, then you can't have him. Now where's the cat?"

Leonardo only looked at him cooly as he answered, "Well I certainly don't have him. You lost him, now what makes you think that I'd be keeping a missing ca tin my home?"

The merchant glared at him, "I got a tip from a man on the street you had that cat! Now hand him over, he's my property!"

Ezio dug his claws into the muddy street, he was _no one's_ property!

Leonardo shook his head, "I really don't have the cat you speak of. Now leave unless you have actual buisiness."

The merchant growled, "This is _actual_ buisiness! Now where is that cat!"

"And I _actually_ am telling the truth by saying that I _really_ don't have it!" Leonardo replied fowly. It seemed odd to Ezio to see the man so harsh to anyone, but hten again, that was the same man who had been nothing but trouble to him since Ezio's turning into a feline.

"I'll call the guards if you don't give me him back!" The merchant threatened.

"And the guards will find nothing but projects and artwork." Leonardo told him.

"We'll see." The merchant hissed as he turned around and remounted his horse. Trotting away to leave a fuming Leonardo at the door. THe artist's blue eyes followed the plump man as his horse carried him down the street and out of sight.

Ezio approached the artist slowly, only worried if his friend would be angry. "Leonardo?"

THe blonde's eyes flashed as he drew his attention away from the corner where the merchant dissapeared down to looked down at his friend. "Ezio, where were you?"

"I was trying to find Nanda." Ezio explained hesitantly. He knew Leonardo wouldn't be too happy about him leaving without him knowing.

"I suppose it might have been good that you weren't here when he was." Da Vinci assured. "Did you find anything?"

Ezio nodded, "I found an abandon house and inside was a ceiler door, but I can't open it."

"I'll come with you so that you can find your friend."

"Gazie (Thank you)."

Leonardo looked down the street again, "Until then, you might want to hide somewhere until it's clear here, I'm sure Lungi will be back very soon."

Ezio nodded, "Si (yes), I guess you're right." He turned to return to the shelter of the broken down home as he added over his shoulder, "Bona fortuna (Good luck), my friend."

He settled down outside the building in the cover of a wooden box covered by a blanket as he laid his head down on his paws exhaustedly. Fatigue from illness seemed ot weigh down on him until he finally fell in a shallow sleep.

* * *

><p>There was a heavy knock on the door the made Leonardo jump in surprise as he set down his paintbrush. With quick steps, he strode up the steps and answered, the merchant as well as a couple of guards were there. One of the guards looked almost completely uninterested, as if whatever the merchant had told him was not worth his time, the other looking eager and ready to attack any simgle person he felt like. THe artist couldn't help but feel more vulnerable because of such.<p>

"Alright, now where is the cat," The first guard asked.

"There is no cat in here, I don't know where this cat is." Leonardo told him. It was sort of true.

"Liar! I know you have it!" THe merchant hissed with a pointed finger.

The mustashe on the first guard twitched as he glared out of the eye holes at the plump man just behind him. "Then you won't mind us checking."

Leonardo shook his head, "No I don't. Just be careful, I have a commission I'm working on. I can't afford to start over at this point."

The guard nodded, "We'll be sure not to touch it. We're only just going to have a quick look."

"I'm sure you'll find that cat!" The merchant announced.

"And I tell you for the last time, I don't have the missing stray. It's your own fault he excaped, not mine." Leonardo responded calmly.

The guard came in, leaving the second with Leonardo and the merchant. He looked like a simple miltia man, not nearly as well suited as the first. Leonardo only kept himself appearing simple and unimportant to give the second guard no reason to use his blade on him.

When the first returned, he looked at the merchant evenly as he informed, "Not even a door mouse inside. I knew it was just a waste of time."

THe merchant growled before gripped Leoanrdo by the shirt collar, "Where is the cat?"

The artist stared in shock as he tried to pry the other's hands off, "I don't know where! Now let me go!"

The merchant was pulled off by the older guard, he spat at the plump man in annoyance, "You'd better not take the law in your hands again, or you'll find that you'll never be about to take anything in them again!"

The merchant blinked.

"Are you sure there was nothing, Signore (Sir)?" The second asked.

"I very well am, now we'd better return to our posts." He led the merchant away. Leonardo then looekd to the street where Ezio vanished, he clsoed hsi door before going down that way. Now searching for hsi friend.


	11. Epic Battle!

Ezio rose his head from his paws when he heard Leonardo call in a low voice, he slipped form the crate he had hidden himself in and told his friend quietly, "The building is over there." He flicked his tail to the crumbled walls. "Come on!"

He bolted through the crack in the wall, looking over hsi shoulder to be sure the artist was right behind him, and came back to teh trap door. He pointed his tail to it as he told his friend, "It's right here."

Leonardo inspected the wood a moment and tugged on a leather handle, swinging the door up and flat on the floor in fornt of him. THe smells became stronger, and almost overpowering, of many cats. He had to force his legs to keep form trembling as fear peirced through him like needles.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, my friend." Ezio promised. He started to pad down the steps and into the dark of the basement below. His whiskers brushed the wall near him as he decended until he felt the stairs end to flat stone. Ezio shivered and ruffled his fur against the cooler air. With mouth slightly open, he began to follow the scent through the darkness engulfing him.

The scents had begun to come overwelming, he was sure they were close, very close. His whiskers brushed against a moving object, his eyes widened as claws gripped his shoulders and pinned him down. He couldn't even voice his surprise as an all to familiar meow wisked and tickled his ear fur.

"Look at the sorry little housecat, come here to apologize?"

With a blink he sputtered in surprise, "Nanda?"

He felt the weigh shift slightly, as if he had startled her with the strange sounding mew. She then put in, "What's wrong with your tongue, you sound like a house folk!"

Ezio knew with burning embarrassment that she was plucking her claws around and through his robes, like she was just realizing that it wasn't his pelt she sunk her claws into.

"And what's with this housefolk thing covering you? Is that man as thick skulled as I thought?"

Ezio growled, "Leonardo isn't thick skulled!"

"He left me on the streets alone! Why did he do that?"

"He didn't know!"

"Housefolk are all the same! Useless! I'm better off here with these strong and useful cats than with you!"

"Nanda, I was worried about you! If I didn't care then I would have left you!"

Blood begun to well up in in long streaks across his muzzle as Nanda drew her paw back after a swipe at him. "You said you'd be there for me!"

"And if I wasn't I'd have never shone up!"

"Nanda! Kill that crow-hearted flea bag already!" Another voice hissed. It was clearly that wirey she-cat!

"I will." Nanda responded flatly as she drew her claws out and dug in deeper to Ezio's shoulders, making the assassin wince in pain.

"Nanda let me go! I saved you from her! How could you trust her?"

Nanda didn't reply.

"Please! Tell me you haven't forgotten about the fact she tried to throw you in the river!"

Her claws quit digging, the she-cat on him was still for a long moment before hissing and lundging off of him, ripping her claws out in the process! He could hear a crash as Nanda fought and tumbled about with the brown she-cat, both yowlings and screeching curses at each other with each move.

"I thought you wanted to be great!"

"Not at the cost of my friends!"

Ezio looked back at where Nanda had tore at him, but the very little light proved examining his wounds impossible. He instead jumped into the fight beside the she-cat, trying to aid her however he could.

"I let you join this order, Nanda! It was falling apart! We needed you!" The wirey she-cat hissed.

"You can find another cat with the brains of a door mouse to join you! Because I'm not!"

"Then you're a fool!"

Ezio was suddenly pummeled by claws and teeth as the wirey she-cat forced him down, her jaws clamping down on his muzzle to provent a scream for help as her claws raked through his belly. His own paws churned the air as he tried ot find her in the darkness, but continued to miss, he wasn't so used to this inky black for fighting.

With a hard jerk, another cat gripped his scruff and tugged him away, and he couldn't help but know that Nanda was trying to free him. THe she-cat was knocked off by something else.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you like I did Falco!" That was Nanda! She wasn't pulling him away, she was fighting the other she-cat!

"Ezio! Ezio! Stay with me!" That was Antonio, but what was he doing here? "We need to get out of here, _now_!" Antonio tossed Ezio so he could scrabble up on his paws as he blindly bolted. Behind him, his friend yowled, "Nanda! Come on! Angelia will block the entrance! We must leave!"

He could hear a new set of pawsteps following briskly behind them, and could only guess it was the little gray tabby.

His luck though, began to crumble, all it took was one of the stone steps to trip him, and he was already half way up. His hind paws slipped and his unsheathed his claws to gain so balance, only to have them skid painfully on the limbstone and allow his pads to scrape, but when he retracted them, his whole body flung backwards and he tumbled down the steps. Hitting the bottom with a frightning thump.

"Ezio! Hurry!" The voice sounded like many, and he couldn't tell where it was coming from. He could only barely get to his paws when something crashe don him.

"You're mine!"

Adreniline pumping through him as he raked his claws through, catching a cat's lower lip as he dragged them down. The tear of skin was followed by an adonizing screech and hauntling familiar gargling noise. The cat on top of him fell over next to him, but as the adreniline rush that had saved him begun to wear off, he could no longer keep his eyes open, the voice screaming at him to follow and be quick faded as he let his head fall to teh stone floor and himself be consumed by the darkness aroudn him.

* * *

><p>Leonardo watched as two cat bursted in, one a ginger the other a fluffy white. The ginger sprinted down the stairs and out of sight, the white climbed on the beams above his head, finding a spot to wait. He looked closer to see that there was a few boards blocking rocks. And it became too apparent what that cat had planned to do, remove the board and let rocks fall on the entrance of the basement.<p>

Below in the ceilor, he could hear yowls and screeches split the air, Ezio's voice sounding every now and again as if replying to them. In a matter of a few minutes, the ginger returned with that gray tabby just behind it. Both looked down antiously at the stairs as they continued to meow down them, their calls unanswered. A new noise rippled through the noises as the screeching stopped, a choked gag, when it stopped the ginger flicked it's tail to the white cat ont he beams, and that cat above his head bit down on the boards before yanking them out of the way.

The artist stepped back as stones poured down from the ceiling, and the cats all sprinted out the exit, looking up at the roof above him, he could see the cracks begining to form. It was all going to collapse!

With a mad dash, he lept out into the street as he heard a crash behind him. When he looked, the roof had completely caved in, the entrance blocked away. And his friend.

Leonardo felt his eyes shoot wide open with shock, Ezio was still in there!

* * *

><p>Antonio looked to Angelia gravely, "We couldn't save him. That crow hearted, flea ridden, mangy excuse of a rougue murdered him!" He dug his claws deep into the dirt cracks of the cobblestone. He should have saved him.<p>

Angelia only stared as she lowered her head down to look at her paws, "You shall be missed, Ezio."

But Nanda only fell to the ground whimpering, "It's all my fault... I should have never listened to her..."

Angelia sighed, "We will mourn him tonight. It's the least we can do."

Antonio glanced at the housefolk standing nearby, the not-cat seemed shaken and stunned. But he couldn't tell this creature anything to assure him, even if he could speak his tongue, there was no words he could even say out of truth that would be assuring.


	12. Aw rats!

Darkness swirled around him, his body seemed useless. With much effort, Ezio pulled himself up, staggering as he tried to mantain his balance. He let out a string of feeble coughs as he tried to clear the dust and dirt from his lungs. His voice a scratchy rasp, "Antonio? Nanda? Where are you?"

When no answer came, he begun to look aorund him more worried, but when he tried to climb up and out the stairs, at around the fifth step, his path was blocked by some rubble that he didn't recall being there before.

"Leonardo?" He called out into the inky balck around him. "Antonio? Are you guys here?"

Still no reply.

"LEONARDO!" He yowled as he whirled aorund and threw himself at the rubble covered steps. But instead sunk to the floor, his paws covering his eyes as he found himself muttering silent prayers to be saved.

His ears pricked to the sound of scurrying, and with a look up, he saw a triangular face and gleaming eyes eased into the shadows, it opened it's mouth to squeak, reveiling long yellow teeth. Ezio stepped back in surprise, a rat! Well if he were human still, this would be no problem to him, just simply kick them. But now, as a cat, he was not much larger than it! He foudn himself cursing his size more as four others made their way into his view. All creeping forward, as if trying to corner him.

Not before long, the assassin found himself up against a wall, the rats still drawing near as they dared to attack him with their yappy squeaks and bared teeth. He found himself looking around desperately, there had to be something! Then his eyes fixed on a furnace not far from him. Maybe there would still be a fire or at least some hot embers.

With a leap, he cleared over the large creatures and bit down on the handle to open the furnace. The rats scrabbling after him as he tore the door open. The first couple couldn't stop in time to avoid the feeble flames lapping hungrily inside, and their bodies only fed it stronger. The last was smarter, biting down on Ezio's shoulder and ripping him backwrds. His softer underside enposed as he jerked back on his paws and snarled at the rat. He just had to lure it into the fire, and he'd be fine!

THe rat jumped him again, ripping it's teeth through his fur and piercing the skin of his back. Ezio yelped and vered around, biting the rat's neck. It gave a loud shreak as it went limp in his jaws, and he dragged the body to the furnace. With a strong heave of his jaws, that made his whole body scream in agony, he flung the rat into the fire. Watching as the flames engulfed, growing larger.

There had to be something else he could burn! He swung around, but not fast enough to dismiss the sudden crackle and roar of fire, heat lapped at his fur, and he swung back to see the flames were starting to grow out of control! Now wided eyed with panick, he screamed again, "Leonardo! Antonio! Nanda! Please! If you can't hear me! Help!"

He pulled his tail closer to himself and bolted to the far side as fire laced the wooden ceiling, making what was the floor collapse in front of him and sortch his whiskers and the fur of his nest and muzzle as he was cornered. His mind flashed as he heard another loud crack, and had only enough time to look up before a huge chuck of ceiling fell down on him, finding himself trapped under the rubble.

"Leonardo! Someone! HELP!" His voice was becoming hourse, a miixture of sickness and smoke scortching his lungs weakening his cries. "Leonardo!" His legs begun to grow more shakier than they already were, and he fell to the ground, smoke filling the small crevas under the rubble that had almost crushed him. He had to close his eyes now to avoid himself being blinded by the poluted air. Through his raspy and feeble coughes, he let out another wail, "Leonardo!"

* * *

><p>"Fire!"<p>

Leonardo stood instantly form his workbench, his mind fogged with greif, his friend was dead. But there was no time now, he took a bucket under his table and ran out the door to see another ten people there at the crumbled building, now a bonfire and daring to catch onto the other buildings. A woman was filling the buckets at the end of a line, then passed it up the row to a man in front who splashed the flames ontot eh hungry flames.

He took his place in line and begunt o pass up the buckets, any little hope was now of Ezio being alive was deminished, surely he couldn't survive a fire like this. A few hours and what seemed like over a hundred buckets of water later, the fire was now hot ambers, glowing brighter before dulling cold as a few last buckets of water were dumped to be sure.

"How did that abandoned building catch? I don't recall anyone going in there." A woman asked.

"Who ever did, they clearly want us all dead." A man nearby agreed.

For a few more minutes, the people still stood, staring at the ashes. Then they begun to disperce. Leonarod found the ginger, the white, and the gray tabby brushing his legs as if to comfort him. But a faint sound seemed to cut through the air, like a small cry. The ginger and the white cat clearly noticed as well as they bolted towards the ashes, and dug around. THe faint wails begun to grow clearer as they unearthed a few scortched wooden boards.

It was just a hourse voice by now, "Leonardo!" Weakness clearly had overtaken the person. But the artist had no time to think of such as he shifted the boards. Finding an ash darkened lump in a small crevas, it rose and fell with shallow breathes proving to be alive. "Le-leonardo..."

The ginger cat leaped down and begun to nudge the lump, until a head only barely lifted, golden eyes dull with what seemed like exhaustion. Leonardo almost felt his heart stop completely, it was Ezio! He was quick to scoop his friend up, ignoring the whimper of protest and his fingers blacken from the grim on his friend's pelt. He was safe!

* * *

><p>All around him begun to steadily cool, but his lungs still scortched from thick smoke that ripped into his lungs. Ezio let out another desperate cry, "Leonardo!"<p>

Suddenly the chuck of ceiling was removed, light streaming down on him, he ducked his head down to avoid being blinded by the sudden brightness he had grown unused to. He muttered again, wondering if his friend would find him, "Le-leonardo..." His last drop of strength deminished as he was about to let black over take him again.

And he felt a nose nudge his dirted flank, "Ezio, it's me! Antonio!"

Slowly to avoid being blinded, Ezio looked up to see his friend's face through blurred vision. He was all too speechless. He took in a started breath as fingers coiled around him and brought him up, his battered and torn body screamed in complaint and he let out a faint whimper. And let himself drift off to the sound of a gentle voice muttering assuring words and a hand carefully running down his back in soothing strokes.

**Ezio's a genius when he doesn't try to be. And now he's safe again! Yay!**


	13. What the?

It was hard to remember what happened to him next. Ezio could only recall being placed down somewhere and a sting of water, but the rest was just too lost in his thoughts. But he remembered something soft over him before his mind drifted off to where only his dreams were completely.

* * *

><p>Angelia laid close to her fallen friend, her fur brushing his as she lapped at his ruffled pelt. His housefolk cleaned him, as well as sealed the wound. But now here his friend was, his flank barely raising and falling with each breath. She wasn't so sure how long he'd last.<p>

"Mother! Mother!" Annette squealed as she climbed up on the no-fur nest, her silver eyes shining brightly.

"Sweetheart, why aren't you with your father?"

"He's playing with Lorenzo and the others." She explained. "I wanted to help you."

She knew her kit was very kind and gentle, maybe the extra paws would help her manage him. She nodded, "Okay, you can. But he's weak. Please try to be quiet so he can rest. And don't jump around so much."

Her kit nodded as she crawled, very careful where she placed her paws, over and curled up next to Ezio. She was mimicing her mother as she licked his neck fur to smooth it down. She glanced up to the archway into the other chamber, where the housefolk was sitting at a cluttered space that was elevated a bit more than the rest, she wasn't so sure what he was doing. Nor if it were important.

* * *

><p>With a groan of uneasiness and pain, Ezio felt the cloudy fuzz of his mind begining to ebb away, a tidal wave of agony washed over him, only fueling the fear and adreniline pulsing through him. Was he captured? He wasn't so sure, the fact that he couldn't see very much at all didn't help his situation, and the only thing he could smell was smoke. Though that was probably form his charred fur.<p>

With a groan, he hauled up to his paws and begun to stumble forward, the ground beneith him sinking in where he stepped. Until he found himself falling, and landed hard on his shoulder. There was a yelp from where he had come from above him, and the sound of shoes lightly stepping on the wood floor. A pair of hands picked the assassin up before a voice, so jarred and jumbled by Ezio's hazy mind that he couldn't reconize it, told him something before placing him back where he started.

After another moment or two, his crossed vision and the fuzziness left, and he could see now that he was laying on his side on Leonardo's bed, the artist was sitting near him and lightly lacing a few fingers down his neck fur. "Ezio, my friend, what were you doing?"

Ezio sighed, "Something stupid."

"You could have hurt yourself mroe than you already have." Leonardo reminded, his voice even, but yet there was the clear edge of concern. "I'm still going to have to wait to see if we can try anything with the Apple."

"Leonardo," Ezio stood up on the bed, his shoulder screaming with strain to match the sting of the rest of him. "Maybe this is my way back to normal! We have to try, I don't want to be a cat forever."

THe inveter nodded, as if slowly agreeing to it. "But what if it only worsens your condition."

"It's worth a try." Ezio insisted.

Leonardo stood up and stepped to the door, "I hope you're right." And he vanished behind the wall as he begun to look for something. He returned with the golden ball, and placed it on the nightstand. "Alright, try touching it. Maybe it will trigger something."

Ezio touched the surface, and was greeted by an instant gleaming light that seemed to blind him for a moment. After blinking a few moments, he found himself still a cat, but something was different. He couldn't so much tell easily.

"Ezio! Dios Mio (My god)!" Leonardo exclaimed.

He looked down at himself, now instead of only reaching Leonardo's knee, he was just barely past the man's waist. His ears on the top of his head were still that of a cat's, his paws somewhat shifted to hands, his fingers short and the bottom having softer and flatter pads, and still he could use his claws. A tail still twitched behind him, and he touched his face a moment to find a small cat nose, but it all was smushed down to a flatter face, he could feel sharp fangs as he roll a tongue through his mouth to check. His body still covered in fur.

Completely mortified, he ran out, finding himself on all fours, a somewhat ocwared stance, but he quickly bonded up and over Leonardo's fence in the back of his house, climbing on the nearest building as he tried to run as far away as he could from his problems. He could stay a cat if only he hadn't suggested his idea. He'd still be presentable!

Soon he found himself curled up in the only place he could hide on a rooftop. The red curtains swayed and flapped in the breeze, but he remained at the bttom, all too shocked by his appearence to even consiter turning back. _I'm a freak! I'm sure Leonardo won't want to help me anymore!_ Ezio thought.

His ears pricked to teh sound of footsteps, had they come looking for him? He curled his fingers into a fist, ready to punch the next person to touch him.

* * *

><p>"Ezio! Wait!" Leonardo shouted as his friend vanished over the fence. He'd have to find him, before someone else did. There was a knock on the door, and he turned to answer, making sure he rounded the cats into the bed he had originally made for Ezio. When he answered, he found the stern face of Machiavelli staring back at him. "Machiavelli? What is it?"<p>

"Who were you just talking to?" He asked flattly. Leonardo felt a bead of sweat break on the back of his neck. Could he find the words to say that he just mutated his best friend?

"Myself," Leonardo lied.

"I heard you call Ezio's name. Did you see him?"

"No."

"You were telling him to wait, but for what?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"Si (yes), now what were you telling him to wait for?"

Leonardo bit his lip, he knew he'd just have to tell teh man now, there was no way to avoid it. He looked up and down the streets to be sure no one else would hear an outburst, but he was so unsure at this point. "Come inside, there are too many wandering listeners."

THe man nodded, stepping inside after Leonardo and closing the door. "Now where's Ezio?"

Leonardo pinched the bridge of his nose, "You might want to sit down first."

Machiavelli gave him a suspitious look, and seated himself on a nearby chair, "Just tell me."

After taking a breath to steady his voice, Leonardo told him, "You know that cat I had tried to save from the Tiber?"

"Si (yes), how could I forget fishing you out?"

"Well that cat..." His voice wavered as he forced the next few words out. "That cat was Ezio."

"What?" THe man bunched his eyebrows and stared at Leonardo, as if he were sure the oder man had lost it.

"Well, it was some effect from the Apple," Leonardo explained. "It turned him into a cat. And I've been trying to turn him back to normal. And well, he got a fever from something in the river, and yet he still wanted to try using the Apple to change himself back. And I just couldn't disagree, so I let him try, and it turned him into a..." He trailed off, unabel to finish.

"A what?" Machiavelli was staring with beaming eyes, but it didn't give away whether or not he believe the truth or not.

"It turned him into a cross of man and cat!" Leonardo blurted out suddenly.

"Wha_!" Before he could finish, Leonardo slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from his yell of a responce. He'd expected such a reaction. When he was sure that Machiavelli wasn't going to shout, he slipped his ahnd off and let him speak. His voice now dropped to a whisper, "You turned him into a what?"

"I didn't want any of this to happen!" Leonardo protested.

"That damned Apple, it's causing us way too much trouble! We need to hide it soon before something else happens." Machiavelli growled.

"And when Ezio saw himself, he fled outside." The artist finished slowly. "I lost sight of him when he vanished over the rooftops."

"Cazzo (Fuck). I'll ask La Volpes to help me find him." Machiavelli assured. "When I find him, I'll let you know." He stopped midway to the door, "What does he look like?"

Leonardo shook his head, "You'll know when you see him. Because I cannot begin to discribe it."

**That damn Apple! It causes way too much trouble. Now Ezio is some Human Cat cross hybrid mutant thing! This is way different than what I'd originally thought it would be.**


	14. Found

La Volpes leaped across the red shingled rooftops just behind Machiavelli, he didn't know why he was even bothering. It wasn't very likely, if not impossible, that Ezio became some bazzare mix of cat and human. But then again, he couldn't be so sure with that damned Apple of Eden.

"Where do you think he'd hide?" Machiavelli asked, breaking a long and ocward silence that had been between them since they left the theives hideout. Let's just leave it at La Volpes simply didn't think it was possible, by any stretch of the imagination, that what Machiavelli told him was true, and might have thrown a_ lit_ candle stick at his head.

La Volpes jumped to the next building and pulling himself over before replying, "I guess it truely depends. Consitering what you told me, if it's true, then he might just be hiding somewhere where no one will look."

Machiavelli turned to glance at him over his shoulder, "And maybe he's hiding right under our noses and we don't realize it."

"Exactly!" La Volpes agreed as he quickened his stride to a sprint to make the next jump.

"But where would he be if_."

"DIOS MIO (MY GOD)! WHAT IS THAT!" A guard exclaimed right in the middle of Machiavelli's sentence. We only looked breifly at eachother before reaking into a run toward the source.

* * *

><p>Ezio ducked as the crossbowman replaced his weapon and whipped out a dagger, whirling aroudn to slash at him. The assassin, although unarmed, was able to rake his long claws through his arm, making him scream before whacking him and tackling him over! A knife pressed to his throat as the guard dared to murder him right then and there!<p>

Ezio kicked him in the stomach, sending the guard over his head and off the rooftop, slamming into the street below. But his victory was short lived as another pair of hands took him and hauled him up by the shoulders.

"Ezio!"

Before he could fight the man off, he had reconized the voice. "La-la Volpes?"

"I can't believe it, Leonardo was right." Another voice noted from behind the thief. He quickly identified it as Machiavelli.

"What are you doing here?" He pulled away and turned back to his hiding spot, where the crossbowman had reached in to find any hiding person and grabbed his tail. "If it's to kill me, then, please, be quick about it."

"Kill you?" Machiavelli echoed. "No, we wouldn't anything like that to you! We came to get you back and change you back to your normal self."

Ezio couldn't even begin to believe it. There was no way anyone would want to help him in this freakish form of his. But then again, there was that fluttering hope flaring in his throat as he prayed that it was true.

"Come with us, we'll take you back to Leonardo's workshop and we'll find a way to change you back." La Volpes assured.

Ezio nodded slowly, "Alright, va bene (fine). But if you're only planning to kill me, you should have done it then when I'd let you."

"We know, Ezio. We know." The thief sighed.

* * *

><p>They arrived back at the workshop. Leonardo looked up, and practially leaped with releif. They had brought Ezio back, and the artist looked at him, his eyes dull and plain. His mouth a flat line on the edge of a frown on his fur covered face.<p>

Behind him, he heard a mewl of surprise, and looked behind him to see Nanda stumble backwards, the Apple glowing on his workbench! He ran over and picked it up, then an idea struck him that he hadn't thought of. "Ezio? Can you still speak to cats?"

Ezio shrugged, then looekd down to the gray tabby and meowed something, teh cat crooked her head and replied something. The assassin looked back and nodded.

"Can you ask her to touch teh Apple again?"

He turned back to Nanda and supposivly asked Leonardo's question. When he turned back he told the artist, "SHe said she'd do it. But why do you need her to?"

"I've got an idea." He told him as he placed the Apple back on the table. "Ezio, touch the Apple with you feline friend. We'll see what happens."

Ezio, very hesitantly from pure nervousness, placed his hand to the Apple, Nanda doing the same.


	15. Many Nekies :3

Ezio felt his whole body shifting with a starting grind of his bones shaping. It didn't hurt so much as he'd thought. But he couldn't bare to watch it, so he kept his eyes sealed shut. But finally, the gnarl of changing tendens and tissue sessed with a sickening crunch, and he found himself on the floor in a daze.

"Eeeezio?" THe voice was jumbled and echoing inside the walls of his ears. He couldn't tell who's voice it was. "Eeezio? Eezio?" THe voice repeated, becoming a little clearer until it was one clear, "Ezio?"

His sight returned and he blinked, whipping his face with the back of his hand. _Wait, my hand? Does that mean?_ He begun to look himself over, his arms no longer covered in dark tortiseshell fur, he touched his ears- which were, to his releif, back at the sides of his head and normally shaped again-, and looked himself over head to toe, everything was just back to the way they were suspost to be.

"Ezio!"

He looked up to see Leonardo, Machiavelli, and La Volpe staring at him. Leonardo closest and supposting him with a hand on his back, the two latter was kneeling behind him.

"Ezio, do you feel alright?" Leonardo asked.

Ezio nodded, unable to speak a moment with a loss of words. He pressed his lips together as he attempted to bring some lost moisture to them.

"Can you speak at all?" His friend asked.

Ezio took the chance to test his own voice, "Si (Yes), I'm sure I'm fine."

"You might want these." Machiavelli stated flatly as he flung a pair of trousers at him, they landed on his face. But Ezio didn't care about it for the moment, he looked over himself to see that his waist down to his knees had a blanket over it. He felt his cheeks redden as he clearly didn't have any pants on either. He nodded his thanks and was about to stand up and go into another room to dress himself when they all heard a whimper from behind.

Where all the cats had once been standing, there was a man and two women, four little children. All four men blinked again, seeing as they had an absence of clothes as well.

"W-who are you?" La Volpe questioned. Clearly forcing himself to look the women directly in the eyes.

The older woman, who was platnium blonde and was a little thicker built than the other, blinked her carmell brown eyes. "What happened? Where's Antonio?"

"I'm right here." Grunted the man, he was a bit older, his dark red hair like flame in the candle light. "Wait a second. Angelia!"

"What?" The two were looking at each other in shock and looking back at the four men, who had sat there far too shocked to express anything in words.

Leonardo was quick to explain, "Maybe the Apple turned you into humans! I'm sorry. But there might be a way to change you back. I think."

The younger woman, who had silver gray eyes and long ebony hair that looked as silky as a downy feather, responded, "I should have never touched that thing!"

For a long moment, everyone was silent. Unable to figure out how to change these cats back.

"Ezio." Machiavelli roke the silence. "Why not you go change, while the rest of us try to sort this out."

"I've got to get them covered." Leonardo sighed. Consitering he didn't need seven people running naked arund his workshop.

Ezio stood up, keeping the blanket around his waist. Something seemed to tickle his cafe as he walked, twitching and brushing lightly on his skin.

"Ezio! Look behind you!" La Volpe exclaimed, but there was pure humor in his tone, the thief was now covering his mouth to suppress his laughter. Although not even encasing his head in wax would help them much.

The assassin glanced behind him to see a long dark cat tail swaying behind him, the end tuffed with a black patch. He yelped in surprise, he still had a tail! "And I thought I was normal!" But he sighed with much aggitation and shut the door to the other room. But found himself staring right at another dalemia. His tail would be bend at a painfully odd angle if he just put the pants on. He'd have to find another way.

Five minutes of mowing it over brought Ezio to a solution to one problem, he took a knife form the table and cut a hole in the seat of the pants so his tail could slip through. He'd have to apoligize for the customizing of the owner's trousers later.

* * *

><p>Nanda looked at her hairless forepaws, moving each finger and trying to extend her claws, though they stayed the same. She couldn't believe she was a no-fur. And standing on her hind paws felt strange, she hadn't done such with legs extended, but at least she still had her tail to aid her in balancing. He touched her ears suspitiously when she felt them twitch, of course those stayed the same, just covered by long and whispy ebony fur.<p>

Leonardo had left, leaving her and her companions with the other two noncats. The one in a cloak, who also appeared older, simply stared at her and Angelia. She wasn't sure why, but he was. She turned from his stare, pacing toward a corner of the room she could stand. When a notcat item was handed to her unexpectedly by Ezio's housefolk. The blonde haired nofur smiled, "You might want to cover yourself, some people around here are a little..."

She shook her head, and with a grunt of discontent, she begun to wrap the clothes on. But Leonardo corrected her, showing her how to properly put on the gardments. With a nod of thanks, she turned to the others who were now dressed. Maybe they wouldn't be stuck like this forever.


	16. Missing

When Ezio returned and Leonardo stared, but right at his head. He touched where his ears were, moving his fingers up until he found the base of the triangular cat ears. And he sighed in discontent he thought he was actually returning to normal! He felt a small tug on his pant leg, and found himself staring into the large silvery pools that were Annette's eyes as she looked up at him. "Are you going to be no furs forever?"

Ezio sighed, he didn't know how to answer but never the less, he calmed himself so he wouldn't snap at the child.. "You, bambina (child), I hope you will. Me, I can't remain a cat forever."

"Why not?"

He tussled her platium blonde hair and chuckled, "Believe me, it's a very long story."

THe almost human assassin looked up as La Volpe was scaling the steps and to the door, "I have to go. The thieves will wonder where I've gone."

Angelia was staring wispfully out the window. It was growing dark. "Antonio, we'd better get our kits to bed."

Antonio nodded, but Lornezo, Marco and Xeavier gave them sad looks. Annette seemed too wide eyed and gitty to even attempt to rest. And Ezio felt a stab of pity for their parents who'd have the task of putting them to bed. But he sat himself down in a chair, holding his tail out of the way so he wouldn't crush it. Leonardo pulled out some pillows and blankets while Angelia gattered the children close, making herself comfortable while Machiavelli felt. THe philosifer promised to be back in the morning.

Ezio woke up to the sounds of Angelia's wails of distress.

"My kit! Why?"

Leonardo was standing beside her, trying to comfort ber, Nanda was looking out the window to the streets werily. And Machiavelli was standing with a look of pondering on his face. Ezio realized it was noon. Had he truely slept in so late? Ignoring it, he stood up and came to Angelia, "Who's missing?"

"My son, Lorenzo!"

"A big no fur with a shiny pelt took him, mother!" Cried Marco.

"He threatened to take us too!" Xavier added.

Machiavelli sighed, "You'd think the Borgia would have given up at this point."

Ezio felt his eyes snap wide open in shock, "They were BORGIA?"

"Si (Yes)..."

"Cesare excaped from prison... not so long ago. His guards were running a muck ever since." Machiavelli explained.

Ezio suddenly remembered that guard that attacked him when he was more cat than he was now, and recalled the red and black uniform along with the Borgia crest! How could he not see this before?

"I'll bring him back," Ezio volenteered.

Leonardo turned form Angelia to point out, "But Ezio, you still have thsoe ears and the tail. What if someone is to see you_"

"I think I can manage something." Machiavelli cut in and Ezio silently thanked his friend. Both of them. Machiavelli for being prepared for this, and Leonardo's consern. "I'll take a look and be back as soon as possible so we can start looking."

"We?"

"Yes 'we', Ezio." Machiavelli replied in a solid and serious tone. "You didn't think that I'd allow you to do this on your own."

Ezio didn't argue, Machiavelli had a point, and it'd be faster to find Lorenzo with the extra help. He felt a familiar tug on his pant leg, and looked down at Annette, who's eyes were stained red from tears and her cheeks wet and puffed. "Please bring him back."

"I promise."


	17. A deal sorta

Ezio ran with Machiavelli through the streets, they had to be fast, or Lornenzo could be killed while they were on the way. There was no time to stop and wait of anyone! Ezio only kept pace, feeling the fabric of a borrowed white shirt, the ends of the sleeves slightly frilled at the end, and a black cloak with a hood draped over and streaming behind him as he ran. It seemed strange in comparison to his usual attire, but this would have to do.

"Brother? Brother!"

Ezio froze midstep at the sound of Claudia's voice, his mind half returning to the night he had seem her crying with worry for him. But he also knew that if he stopped too long, someone was bound to find his tail and cat ears. The fur along the top of the dark extention bristled as snxiety prickled in. This was delaying him of saving Lorenzo!

"Brother! Where have you been? It's been weeks!"

Ezio barely looked over hsi shoulder and smiled half heartly at her, growing impatiant and only wanting to race back up to Machiavelli's side.

"And what's with these new clothes?" Claudia questioned as she eyed the loaned clothes that had covered him.

"I-I_"

"His robes were torn in a fight to the point where they were unwearable." Ezio nearly jumped twelve meters from pure surprise at Machiavelli's voice behind him. But yet, he was thankful the man had turned and was helping with Claudia.

"What's wrong, Ezio? You're not sick are you?"

"N-no, Claudia. I'm just bsuy right now. I need to get going."

"But brother!"

"I'm serious, Claudia, I have other things I need to see to, but now I can't talk. I'll visit soon enough. I promise!"

"And what's this?" Her hand was reaching for his tail, and he felt it stiffen instead of it's usual sway, he'd be exposed! But he turned away.

"It's nothing, and I have to go."

"And why's your hood pointed oddly?"

Ezio flattened his ears into the rest of his hair. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're not telling me soemthing, Ezio, I know the look."

"I have to go! I'll visit you later!" He turned and bolted, Machiavelli made a quick appology and sprinted beside him. Leaving a baffled and steaming Claudia to watch them vanish into the crowds.

"You'll have to tell her sooner or later." Machiavelli told him. But Ezio replied in a grunt. He didn't know how he could possibly explain this mutation to his sister.

He then stopped, hearing the sound of crying and begun to follow it. Where he found a guard with a nooked dagger to Lorenzo's throat! The little boy stared with eyes wide with fear.

"Stay away Auditore! Or I kill him!"

"Let the boy go." Machiavelli commanded evenly.

"Do as I say, and maybe I'll consiter."

Ezio and Machiavelli looked to each other, silently asking whether they should listen, risking the chance that he'd kill the boy anyways. Ezio turned back and nodded, "What do you want?" His voice even, but the was a slice of impatience and discontent.

"Drop your weapons." The guard growled. "Every last one of them."

At the same time, Machiavelli and Ezio dropped down their swords, followed back daggers and throwing knifes and anything else.

"And that wrist blade of yours, idiota (idiot)."

Ezio perched his lips in a soudnless growl but obayed as he slid the last weapon on his person and placed it, much more carefully than the rest, on the gorund at his feet.

"We've done what you asked, now let the child go!" Machiavelli ordered.

"Not everything, Cesare will enjoy the fact her has the master assassino in custaty." The guard chuckled. "Ezio Auditore, you'll come with me if you want the bambido (child) alive."

Ezio tightened his hands into a fist, "You let the boy go! Then I'll go with you."

Machiavelli gave him a shocked look at his friend's quick agreement. But Ezio didn't look at him, he only glared daggers at the guard, challanging him to disagree with the very consiterate offer.

"Va bene (Fine)," With a shove, he sent the boy stumbling to the cobblestone, crying as blood was pooling around him!

"Bastardo (Bastard)! You harmed an innocent child!" Machiavelli yelled with pure anger powering his voice.

"You said to let the boy go, so I did." The guard smiled twistenly witha sick sense of humor that made Ezio flinch as new found rage was pulsing through him with every pounding heartbeat. The guard continued, "You said nothing abotu him being unharmed."

"It was implied, puttana (whore)!" The dark haired philosiper argued.

Ezio turned his stared form the guard to Lorenzo, the little child clutched his side his hands reddened. By now his crying was only weakening sobs and gasps of breath. The blood pooling around him had grown to the point where it spread around up to his neck and knees. His longish black hair dipping at the tips in the sticky red liquid. His hazel eyes were slowly closing.

The assassin made his move now, with one mere swoop, he charged, picking up a discarded dagger and jamming it into the guard's throat. When he ripped the blade out, he felt dark content to hear the gargling noise from him before he died. He quickly turned back ot Machiavelli, who now was kneeling beside the boy.

"E-Ezio?" He stammered as he got up slowly, his palms stained crimson. "Lorenzo just died."

The hatred burning was ebbing, now replaced with pure grief. He kneeled down beside Lorenzo, half open eyes stared glassily back at him. The young child was so innocent. He didn't deserve what had happened to him. Which a delicate brush of his finger tips he closed the child's eyelids fully, "Nessuno potrà farti del male di nuovo, piccolo bambino. Requiescat en pace. (No one will hurt you again, little child. Rest in peace.)"

"We'd better take him back." Machiavelli insisted, already picking up their weapons and handing Ezio his. The assassin blankly replaced his sword and dagger and hidden blade, but he wasn't aware of anything other than the clutching depression sinking down into him.

"Ezio!"

He hadn't noticed. Only that he was now on the ground, Machiavelli tearing something from his shoulder. Whatever had happened, Ezio was far to numbed by his emotions to feel it. He only blinked dully at his friend.

"Ezio! Stay with me! Alright?" Ezio begun to shut him eyes, allowing blackness to shadow the world away. He didn't want to live in it if it meant the innocent should die. He couldn't take such pain. "Ezio! Ezio_"

**Yup, Ezio just got seriously depressed. and something happened that you'll find out in the next chapter. I already know what it is that happened.**


	18. Dah Doctore!

"Cazzo (Fuck)." Machiavelli swore to himself. In his hand, he loosily held a poison dart, why was this happening? Why?

He needed to get Ezio back to Leonardo's as fast he could, but there was still Lorenzo's body! And the guard! He couldn't leave them here! He stood up and picked up the guard, throwing him slopily into a nearby haystack. And as for Lorenzo, he tucked the body away where he could find it again, his main priority was to get Ezio back, there was still a chance one life could be saved.

"Need some help, amico mio (my friend)?"

Machiavelli glanced up to see La Volpe crouching on the rooftop above him, his eyes looked partiarly to Ezio before back to him.

"Si (Yes). I need to get Ezio back."

"I know. I saw what had happened." La Volpe told him.

"And you just sat there?"

"No, I killed the guard," La Volpe assured. "Why? You do mean the poison right?"

"So you didn't see the guard that killed one of Angelia's children?"

"What?"

"Lornezo. I was going to bring him back, but I need to bring Ezio first."

"I'll get the boy," La Volpe promised. "Now go! Before the poison spreads anymore!"

Machiavelli nodded and pulled Ezio up. He was well aware of the assassin's weight, and the weapons weren't helping, it was a wonder he managed to jump and run on rooftops as well as he did. Especially with all his usual armor! Carefully slinging an arm over his shoulder, he started to drag his friend out of the alleyway.

He was stopped by a tap on his shoulder, with a quick glance, he found himself face to face with the beaked mask of a doctor. Blue eyes shining behind the mask as he looked at him. "Do you require some assistance for your friend?"

Machiavelli nodded, maybe he'd have a cure. He laid Ezio down on the table, and allowed the doctor to look him over.

"I know this poison." He man muttered under his breath. "Do you think you can help me get him to drink antidote?" As he nodded, the doctor instructed him to hold Ezio's mouth open so he could pour the clear liquid down. Almost instantly Ezio coughed, sputtering a slir of curses as his hand grasped around the doctor's neck! His eyes wide, yet unfocused and glazed with confusion and utter fear. His was breathing in rapid pants as if he'd run across the entire city.

The doctor was completely surprised at the sudden hand tightening around his throat, and he reached into his long overcoat for a seringe, with a quick and surprisingly accurate injection, Ezio loosened his grip, until he slowly released entirely, his golden eyes clouding over and glassy as he stared at nothing.

"What was that you'd just given him?" Machiavelli asked.

"Just something to ease the panick attack." The masked man sighed. "He'll be fine. Just let him rest for a bit."

"Would it be safe to move him?" Machiavelli asked.

"He should be fine. Should be. If there's anything else, just let me know and I'll take a look."

"Gazie (Thank you)." Machiavelli was careful this time as he hauled Ezio up and begun to drag the heavier man back. Grunting in discontent every now and again. Consitering how long of a walk it was back to Leonardo's it wouldn't be the most pleasant.

* * *

><p>Leonardo held his head in his hands, Angelia only cradled her dead child, crying as Antonio only tried to comfort her. He'd tried, but was snapped at for doing so. Their three children were now curled up in the corner, all had been sent to a nap when La Volpe had come in with Lorenzo still dripping blood. Nanda watched them all through her jay blue eyes.<p>

What got Leonardo nervous, was the little news he shared about Ezio. That he was shot with a poison dart. Now he was expecting to find Machiavelli dragging in a corpes.

There was a knock on the door and he stood to answer, climbing up the steps and cracking it open. Then fully when he saw Machiavelli. He had Ezio with one of the assassin's arms slung over his shoulder, his hand pressed to Ezio's chest as extra support. The short ragged breaths coming from the dragged man ensured the inventor that his friend was alive.

"I brought him to a doctor." Machiavelli ensured. "He treated him."

"Bene (Good), we'll put him on my bed for now, I'll look him over, you can explain what happened to Angelia and Antonio." Leonardo instructed as he slid the other arm over his shoulder and led the way to his bedroom. Both men carefully laid Ezio down, and Leonardo felt his breath catch, the assassin's golden eyes were half open, glassy and unfocused. He sighed as he carefully sat himself down beside him and removed the weapons from his belt, then the cloak and shirt.

"Ezio, you'll be fine. I promise." Leonardo swore.

* * *

><p>Darkness was around him, hiding him away from the pain he felt, from the truth. He didn't want the agony anymore, he hid himself away. Hoping that his prolems would siece. Praying that everything would be back to normal.<p>

His problem was that he couldn't remember what normal was anymore. The world aroud his seemed to be growing, and he felt like he should have know if that was wrong, but he didn't know. He didn't know himself, he couldn't reconize himself. What was he?

Something nuzzled against him, fluffy and warm, purring like thunder. He curled in towards it, looking for comfort in the white shape as it rasped over him with what seemed prickly. But he didn't care, as long as it was something that was taking away his pain. He let himself be consumed by the rummble, closing his eyes and felt a hot tear roll down his face and into the fur. Nothing could torture him anymore, as long as he stayed in the dark.

**Yeah... I don't know. Figured Ezio's probably having a mental breakdown by now... I just... don't know... they'll have to fix him sooner or later. And I'll think of that soon.**


	19. Condition

Over the course of the week, La Volpe arrived to find that Angelia, Antonio, Nanda, and the kittens were turning back to cats. And yesterday they appeared totally normal cats. It was Ezio that startled him. The assassin shrunk! Down to the size of one of the kittens! Granted he still arms and legs that appeared human, he just grew hair all over, and grew a cat nose! In other words, he turned into a miniature form of what he had first seen Ezio as when he found out about the Apple had done. Angelia spent a lot of time curled aorund him, licking him and grooming him like he were one of her own.

They had buried Lorenzo on the night he brought the body, and it dawned on him that the boy looked so much like Ezio! She was probably trying to find comfort somehow by treating him like one of her own. Leonardo was trying his best to keep up with commisions, partly because he had begun to loose hope in changing his friend back. He too had noticed how Ezio wasn't himself, not downsizing his injuries and making either jokes or sinical comments. Something was wrong with him. Something gravely wrong. Machiavelli had arrived frequently to check in on Ezio, but was also busy at keeping Claudia distracted. She was presistently trying to see Ezio.

"Where is he?" Leonardo questioned when he arrived in his bedroom, Angelia was standing and pacing nervously. Clearly as stressed as the artist was. Leonardo sighed, pinning the bridge of his nose as he turned toward La Volpe. "Could you help me look? He couldn't have gone far."

La Volpe nodded and begun to search, but quickly caught on when he heard a yelp of surprise from under the bed. He moved the blankets up so he could peer under to see one of Angelia's kittens pinning him, lapping Ezio. But the partly feline assassin was trying to push the kitten away, yelping and hissing at it. La Volpe reached under and quickly the kittne let go, Ezio on the other hand panicked! His tail tucking between his legs as he let out a low growl, and his ears flattened down to his head. Hesitant, La Volpe still reached in to pull Ezio out, only to earn sharp teeth to one of his knuckles!

He pulled away, Ezio growling lowly at him as he stared at him through diolated pupils. There was no way he'd be able to get Ezio out from under the bed without hand protection. He looked aorund and reached for a fabric bag he could scoop the assassin into. But when he turned back, Ezio was gone!

* * *

><p>He bolted tryign to get away! To find that white form, thatwarmth that had nuzzled him with care and the loud purr that seemed to always rumble. He needed to find it!<p>

Now he resented a smaller form, a tawny orange that had given away his location. And a huge pale creature now chased him, three actually! He lept out of the way of snatching paws and scrambling hind legs, he needed to escape! Once again, he was grabbed, and he sunk in his teeth as he scored his claws through the flesh aorund him, grinning to himself as blood hit his nostrils. There was a yelp and he was let go, back in mid fall, something caught him with a triupant yowl as the opening closed.

He sat in the solid net for what seemed like lifetimes before it openned, a few pairs of eyes staring at him. One was holding his paw where he had scratched and bit him.

* * *

><p>"He's acting like an animal." Leonardo noted.<p>

"Like a cat." Machiavelli pointed out as he glanced aorund a moment to look for something to cover his bleeding hand.

"But why?" La Volpe asked, voicing their main question.

Leonardo shook his head, "Maybe it was someting done from being a cat, I don't know what, but the signs are obvious. He hasn't been acting himself, not talking at all since Lorenzo's death, and atacking through fear like an animal would. I think it's mental trama."

"And how can we help?"

"Sometimes time can only heal wounds." Leonardo sighed. "We can hope that he'll regain himself. We should help him though."

"How? When he tries to naw our fingers off every time we try to remove him from hiding spots?" Machiavelli asked, now holding a hankerchif he pulled from his pocket.

"We'll have to try and get us to trust us until them. I'll see what I can do until then." Leonardo ensured.

* * *

><p>He stirred in his restless sleep, after fallen asleep with the warmth of the large white form, he'd let himself fall victim to his exhaustion.<p>

_"I find you GUILTY! Your punishment shall be DEATH!"_

_"No! They are innocent! I get you the evidence!"_

_"I've resieved no such thing."_

_His eyes grew wide as he saw him pull the lever, the trap door opening and he watched as his father and brothers danggled by their necks! "NO! I'll kill you for what you've done!"_

_"Get him! He's with the traitors!"_

_Guards aorund him drew closer, swords ready, his heart slammed in his chest, he couldn't beat them! There was no way!_

He sat up stiffly, panting with fear as he returned to the darkness. No... He could no longer trust sleep to ease his pain. Only the dark protected him. He'd stay in it forever if he can. He came closer to the white form, and pressed close into her fur as he tried to seek comfort from the nightmares.

* * *

><p>When he woke up, the white form was gone again. But the harsh encounter with th tall beings last time still burned like a wild fire in his mind. Keeping him confinded to the soft place.<p>

His ear twitched as he heard a footfall, the hair on his pelt rose up in alarm, it was far to loud and clunky ot be the white form, it was one of those tall beings! He felt his tail curl in between his legs as he pushed closer to the hard vertical area at the end of the soft place (the headboard of the bed). He wanted as much distance as he could from those monsters!

It was that tall with blonde hair, he held a reflective bowl of something, which the white form reacted plesantly to, as well as a bit of some kind of food that he thought he should know but didn't. The tall placed the bowl on the floor, allowing him to see the white liquid inside that the white form happily lapped. He gripped the soft palce and climbed down beside her to follow suit. But was nearly trampled on by a few smaller forms, all coming to lap the fluid.

He was about to take a sip of it, when he was bumped and knocked into the liquid! A milky flavor rolled through his mouth, but he was drowning in it! Frantic to excape, he flared his arms, trying to remember if he knew how to swim. But found himself churning air, gasping for breath. The tall had picked him form the milk and was holding him form the tall made pelt he was wearing. With care he was placed down, but his stomach still growled with hunger.

The tall broke a piece fo the food he was holding, and held it in front of him to take. He eyed it suspitiously, wondering what he did to it. But the tall seemed to see past it, as he took a bit from the larger piece in his other hand, as if to prove nothing was wrong. With hesitation, he reached out and took the food before scrambling over the soft place to make a little distance so he could eat in peace.

With the first bite, a familiar flavor rolled over his tongue, though he couldn't recall the name. He knew it from somewhere. Puttitng the question aside, he finished and made his way down to the white form, hoping that she was still there.


	20. Over the week

He made himself comfortable along with the white form, listening as she lapped at the fake pelt that covered him, Once again, the tall arrived, sitting down and reaching out to pet the form, with a purr, she slipped in close, nuzzling against him. Now mixed with confusion and curiousity, he slowly stepped in closer, wondering if the tall was trustworthy. The chase came back to mind as he shook his head urruptantly. He didn't want the past to haunt him any longer. He didn't want pain to come again.

The tall being stroked a finger tip carefully over the top over his head, instictively he tried to shrink away, but found himself somewhat enjoying the gentler treatment. He stepped closer, letting the tall pick him up and carefully pet him. The white form seemed to smile at him, as if he accomplished something unknown to him.

* * *

><p>Leonardo smiled, Ezio was improving. Now allowing him to come close enough to see over for any injury or such. He couldn't help but sigh with releif. Unforchanately that releif seemed to die when he realized how timid and flighty the small assassin still was, which he expected. Because as Machiavelli entered, Ezio fled to hide in the shelter of Angelia's fur, curling in tight.<p>

"How's Ezio doing?"

"He's better." Leonardo answered.

Machiavelli was about to approach the tiny assassin, but Leonardo batted his hand away.

"He's still very jumpy. I don't think it'd be wise to startle him and have us go on another race to catch him."

"Fine..." Machiavelli grunted.

With the slightest touch, Leonardo tried to coaze Ezio from Angelia's fur, grinning whe he saw the assassin do just that. But the moment he saw Machiavelli, his eyes widened, which Leonardo was sure was from fear, and lept at his finger, latching on and burying his face in, like a young child would believe if they couldn't see someone that they weren't there. It took a carefully and gentle tug on the back of his shirt to pull him off, but when he let go, Leonardo placed him down on the bed.

"So he trusts you now."

"Si (Yes), and it's a good thing. Maybe we can get him back to his senses."

Machiavelli was about to reach down to pet Ezio, but the assassin pinned his ears back and hissed at the hand approaching him.

"Don't worry, Ezio you'll be yourself in no time."

* * *

><p>A couple day passing that led to Leonardo finding Ezio had grown a bit bigger. Now the size of a full grown cat. Over the course of those two days, he'd become less and less attached ot Angelia. Yet he still hung around where she was. He was becoming more trusting to him, Machiavelli and La Volpe would prove a little more challanging.<p>

A few more days brought more chance, as he grew, he also was gaining more human appearance. By then, he was pretty much half their size, as well as the fur was patching up and falling out where it wasn't before this huge scramble to restore him. And such shedding, Leonardo had to clean up...

* * *

><p>He rested his head down, sighing lightly as he let himself relax slightly, exhaustion seeping in, and he fought it with uruptance, unwilling to let himself see the pain and torture he'd been hiding from. He was beinging to get used to those talls who were around him, and after so long, he had begun to try hearing in on them, to figure out what they were saying.<p>

They kept calling him "Ezio" for some reason, and he knew he should have known the name from somewhere, but his mind only drew a blank.

He tipped his head downward, sleep overpowering him as it whisped him away to his dreams.

_"Manferto! Manferto what happened?"_

_"They attacked us... she ran..."_

_"NO!"_

_He charged down the street at full sleep, not caring who he knocked over or the strange glances he reseaved. All he cared about was finding her!_

_"Cristina! Run!" He demanded when he saw her, she pulled away form the slave trader, running away with one on her heels. He on the other hand, didn't. He slashed through the slave tradors watching them fall._

_He found her, a deadly wound inflicted on her as he scooped her up and begun to carry her away._

_"Cristina, hold on! You're going to be alright."_

_"No, Ezio." She whimpered weakly. "I don't think I am." He kneeled down, and listened as she continued. "I wish we could have had a second chance."_

_"I should have been here with you."_

_"Don't you see, Ezio? You always have." She held the pendant of a necklace, he suddenly remembered back, giving it to her. She brought herself closer, her dying breath soft until I turned to nothing. Her skin growing cold as ice._

_"Requiescat en pace (Rest in peace). My love."_

He sat up with a jolt, panting with panic as he tried to sooth his racing thoughts. His vision hazy as he stumbled off the soft place and across the ground, reaching the portalway, the knob just in his reach as he openned it and jumped through. He needed to get some fresh air, he needed to be somewhere besides the confines of that den.

He came to an alleyway, and curled up under a tall made box, and stared out as he let his thoughts flutter away. But he was brought back as light streamed into his eyes, he stood up and bolted, needing to get away as he heard a squeak behind him.

* * *

><p>Claudia tapped her fingers irritably on the railing of the staircase as she watched her mother in conversation with one of the cortesans. But something nagged at her, she couldn't tell what, but something was bugging her about last week when she saw Ezio. He wouldn't talk to her so much, and kept trying to leave. Machiavelli had only aided his point. Though it wasn't uncommon when Ezio would be too busy on a mission to talk to her, she kept getting the sense that there was another reason. And the bumps under the hood of that borrowed cloak of his wasn't helping.<p>

When she had told her mother about it, however, she merely dismissed it, not seeing it as anyhting to worry about. And that Ezio could take care of himself.

With a sigh, she came down the stairs, and walked outside. There, a few of her guys were giggling in conversation, and a few men gave them interested glances. She sighed, it didn't seem like any other day to her. But that nagging had grown to a headach now, crashing against the inner walls of her skull. She pinned the bridge of her nose to ease it, but was unsucessful.

A sudden yelp and a little kid's excited screams brought her attention back to her surroundings. It had come from the alley. She turned down to the source, only to see a little black hair boy watch as something scurried away.

"What happened?" She asked evenly.

The boy turned, brown eyes twinkling with amusement. "I saw a cat thing!"

"A cat?" Claudia repeated puzzled, that thing that ran away was a little too big to be a cat.

"Thing." The child added. "It looked kind of personish."

"So it wasn't a cat then?"

"It looked like a cat... sort of." The child explained.

"Go find your mother, I'm sure she worried about you." Claudia told him.

The boy nodded and trotted away, leaving Claudia to find whatever this mysterious thing was. She rounded the corner of the alley where the thing had vanished. But found herself staring down at an empty place. Sighing, she focused harder, bring in Eagle vision. Another little thing her brother was unaware of about her, and a little thing she had rarely used and never brought attention to. SHe saw a shining blue trail, and she felt the corner of her mouth twitch in question. Why would it be blue?

She followed it regardless, then found the trails end in a crack of a wall. She made her usual sight return and crouched down to reach inside. Her fingers were swept by a fluffy thing, that twitched and drew away. SO she looked inside, finding golden eyes staring wide eyed back. She brought her arm back in and coiled her fingers aournd the side of it, earning a hiss of protest, and pulling it out. Her breath caught when she saw what she had pulled from the crevas.

The thing was a patchy creature with feline ears and a tail, somepart there was no fur, and others had some. But what startled her was the very fact this thing was wearing assassin robes! Ezio's to be acurrate!

THe creature crouched, the fur on it's neck bristled as it snarled in defence. She carefully drew a hand over it's eyes, a little method she had learned from her friend to calm a cat, if they couldn't see, there was nothing to be worried about. When the creature appeared visibly looser, she picked it up and raced back to the bruffle, mainly to avoid wandering eyes that might discover her find.


	21. Claudia again!

**Please review, I'm starting to wonder if you guys still read this.**

Leonardo reached out to his side on his bed, his mind still fuzzy with sleep. His designs couldn't wait, so he had gone to sleep around midnight. He frowned when his hand only touched the silky blankets, but no Ezio. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking around the room. Consitering how much Ezio had grown in the course of the week, it'd be hard to hide him. And now the assassin was missing!

With a swift leap, the artist had jumped form the covers and grabbed a pair of pants before dressing himself, then begun to search for his friend. Not leaving a single potential hiding spot unchecked. When he'd come up short he sat down again, pondering where Ezio could have vanished to.

"Maybe I overestimated him." Leonardo sighed heavily. With a grunt, he stood up, his joints either stiff from age or the still sleep.

He looked up at the door when he heard a knock, and stepped up to answer. There he found himself face to face with the merchant as well as those two guards again! Leonardo felt his throat grow uncomfortably dry. This time he couldn't say that there wasn't a feline in his house.

"What is it, Signore (Sir)?" Leonardo asked.

"Where's the cat?" The merchant hissed his question vemonously.

"Hadn't we been over this?" Leonardo asked back, forcing his face and voice to remain even and somewhat clueless. "I don't have the cat that you've lost."

"Well why not we let these guards decide." The merchant growled.

The older guard, who, like last time, appeared uninterested in irritated by the merchant, grunted, "I see no point. If this cat of yours wasn't there the first time, it won't be here this time."

"And he's right." Leonardo agreed.

"But still! How do we not know if you didn't hide it?" The merchant insisted.

The older guard muttered a few curses of the emrchant under his breath that only Leonardo could pick up, as the other guard nor the merchant showed no sign of hearing them. "Signore (Sir), I don't want to intrude on whatever work you were doing. But he had already told us to check, so if you don't mind?"

Leonardo shook his head, "No, I don't mind. But I'll say right now that my friend has been out of town for the week, so he left me his cats to watch over. But since this merchant believes that I am in posestion of this missing cat of his, why not he tell us what it looks like."

"You should know! A dark tortiseshell with yellow eyes!" The merchant snapped. "And it's an older one as well!"

The guard nodded when he heard the discription and looked to Leonardo, who side stepped to allow the guard to get through. After a few minutes he returned with the six cats behind him. "Why so many?"

"Like I've said earlier, there were my friend's. I don't understand why he had so many either." Leonardo reminded.

"Those! Those are all cat's that were missing from me!" The merchant stammered, his eye wide, but the moment the guards turned ot look at the cats he smiled in a sinister way that made Leonardo's dry mouth more like the desert than anyhting.

"You said it was one cat. And that it was a dark tortiseshell, none of them match your disciption." The older guard reminded evenly.

"Who cares! Arrest the thief!" The merchant hissed.

The guard shook his head, "No, I won't because he didn't. So get over it."

Leonardo used his foot to guide the cats back inside, then returned his attention to the three outside on his doorstep.

"I'm sorry for nosing into your time." The older guard apologized. And with and silent signal, he and the other guard left. The merchant glared evilly, then vanished into the crowds.

With a shutter, Leonardo closed the door and begun to search around for Ezio some more.

* * *

><p>Maria looked up as Claudia came into the bruffle. Something sagged in her arms, what ever it was, she could see a tail twitching behind it. "Claudia? What is that you've got there?"<p>

Her daughter looked up, "I-I don't know." She hurried up to her room, and Maria tapped one of her girls on the shoulder and gave her a quick command to watch over the bruffle for a moment before following. Claudia was sitting on her bed as she placed whatever the thing was down. By now, Maria was able to see stained white and red fabric.

She blinked in utter surprise when she realized that it was Ezio's robes! And her eyes went wide open when she was able to see that this creature also had patches where skin showed as well as a smushed in face, complete with a deformed nose that seemed neither cat nor human. Golden eyes stared off hazily, as if too distant to realize what was going on. But what had given it all away was that scar on the the right side of the creature's face just like her son's! "E-Ezio?"

The eyes fo the creature blinked before focusing on her, but didn't say a word. Claudia asked, "Do you really think it's him?"

"I haven't a clue. Dios mio (My god), what happened to him?"

"We should get him to Leonardo!"

"No, what if someone sees!"

"But mother_!"

"No. We can't risk him being seen."

"Fine."

Claudia crossed her arms, as if she were a child again and were pouting over not getting what she wanted. Maria almost laughed at the sight, her daughter was no better than all those years back. With a chucle, Maria brushed some dirt form Claudia's forehead. "We'll see if we can bring Leonardo here, alright?"

"Okay." Claudia stood. "I'll get him now!" Before Maria could protest, Claudia was already down the stairs.

* * *

><p>La Volpe watched form a rooftop as Claudia rushed out of the bruffle. He had seen her bring back a tailed creature, which had to be Ezio if not anything beyond the imagination. Leonardo was in distress when he came in, and he had learned that his friend had run off somewhere. So he was searching, but was surprised to see Claudia had beaten him to it.<p>

As Claudia dissapeared into the crowds, he jumped onto the balcony outside her bedroom and peered inside, Maria was walking out, leaving Ezio on the bed by the window. The assassin looked plain morified, and La Volpe couldn't blame him if he still hadn't returned to normal yet. The man's sister was being none too gentle carrying him from what he saw.

With ease, he slipped in and rung his arms aorund Ezio, but earned a hiss and a scratch to the back of his hand. Ignoring the welling blood, he still grabbed Ezio and lept out, bolting out onto the balcony and then onto the rooftops. He could easily bring Ezio back!

As he neared Leonardo's workshop, he found himself staring as Leonardo looked wide eyed with shock as CLaudia talked to him. He could only guess that the artist was surprised. But La Volpe cut in as he climbed down with one arm still coiled around Ezio, "You mean him?"

Claudia and Leonardo looked up, the former's mouth dropped in shock. "You took him?"

"Si."

"Why?"

"Because we'll get a lot more done here then at the bruffle." La Volpe explained flatly.

Leonardo took Ezio, who settled down remarkably to Leonardo's hold as opposed to the constant hissing and fighting in La Volpe's. Sighing, he followed Leonardo inside, as Claudia came in after them.

Leonardo placed Ezio down, and begun to check him over, "I don't know. Maybe if we let him rest, he'll get better. But I can't be sure."

"Let's hope that's the case." La Volpe agreed.


	22. River Rumble!

Leonardo watched as Ezio had begun to change over the next couple days, until Ezio was back to where he started, a man with feline ears and a tail. Unforchanatly Ezio still seemed untrusting, as well as unresponcive. He wasn't sure why. Clearly his hunch that the assassin would improve with time was wrong.

When Maria ran in his workshop, tears running down her eyes, Leonardo was quick to ask, "What happened?"

Ezio's mother made no hesitation to tell him, "They took Claudia!"

"_What_?" Leonardo stood up, his mind racing with preditions of what could be happening. "Who? Where did they take her?"

"Those Borgia bastardos!" Maria hissed. "They came in and took her along with a couple of courteseans! I think they took them to the Tiber!"

"Merda (Shit)!" Leonardo cursed half to himself. "I'll go with you, to get your daughter back."

"What about Ezio?" Maria questioned.

Leonardo looked over his shoulder at said man, who stared off into the distance. "He still isn't himself. I don't think it'd help much to bring him."

"Just do so!"

Sigh he nodded, "Get a couple horses, we can travel a lot faster that way."

"I already have."

"Bene (Good)." He replied. "I'll be out in a moment." He turned and pulled Ezio up, earning a low pitched growl of protest. When he heard the door close, he whispered to his friend, "Ezio, I know that you're there. Somewhere. Please. Your sister needs you. Come back."

His dissapoint bublling when Ezio didn't even bat an eye at his words, Leonardo led him outside and seated him on the back of a light brown horse, throwing himself on in front so that he could steer. Looking at the sky, he saw dark storm clouds approaching, the wind threatened to blow his hat off.

"Lead the way, Signora (Ma'am)."

Maria nodded and whipped the reins, causing her horse to gallop ahead, Leonardo followed closely, looking over his shoulder now and again to ensure that Ezio was still on.

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"Si (Yes), I told Machiavelli and La Volpe."

* * *

><p>"La Volpe? She told you too?"<p>

"What? No hello?"

"Now's not the time for talk!"

Machiavelli charged ahead toward the bank, Claudia in sight. She was struggling against two guards who dared to throw her into the water. A thought struck his mind, the Auditores seemed like the only family that knew how to swim around here, right? So Claudia wouldn't drown?

"Let her go!"

The guards turned to see the two and one laughed, "Is this the best they can do? A writer and an old thief? That puttana (whore) underestimates us!"

Machiavelli drew his sword while La Volpe gripped his dagger, "Then why not you fight and prove such words!"

"What's the point of a garenteed win?" Another guard yawned. "Bring someone worth fighting and we'll see."

"You wouldn't know a worth opponent if they spat in your face, porco (pig)!" Claudia argued as she thrashed around, only to earn a slap to the side of the head.

The gallope of horses came into Machiavelli's ears, and he turned to see Maria and Leonardo on separate horses, Ezio on the back of Leonardo's. By how the assassin stared off blankly, he could tell that his friend hadn't improved.

With a strong and swift move, Claudia elbowed the nearest guard in the stomach, aquiring his knife to stab him before turning on the other. This set off the others, causing a full battle to begin. Machiavelli charged, slashing his sword into the first guard and kicking the next, La Volpe followed with such fulency as he took down guard after guard.

There was the sudden sound of gun shots! And Machiavelli looked to the ground where he was once staring to see a dark spot in the dirt where the bullet hit. But a low gasp proved his fear, her turned to see Ezio fall off the horse, his shoulder welling up with crimson and making a pool around him! He held his breath a moment, but then saw La VOlpe as the thief had sprung up the rooftops and begun to butcher the muskettears. Maria head Ezio in her arms lightly as she held her hands over the wound.

Out of the blue, Machiavelli felt a rain drop hit his cheek, and he looked up to the see the dark clouds loom over head, a low rumble that he'd been hearing had grown louder. With a startling surprizing crackle, lightning jumped from the clouds and struck the river! The crash of thunder brought along frightningly strong winds and rain pelting down in sheets! The storm had broke!

"Retreat!" A guard shouted as he pushed Claudia backwards, making her stumble into the water!

* * *

><p>A sudden pain coursed through him, lancing form his shoulder as he fell over off the beast. The very pain he'd been hiding from, trying to stop himself from experiencing had returned! He saw a face loom over him, one he had to focus hard on to see, suddenly he gasped. He knew that face!<p>

His mind flashed form the beginning, everything, all playing in front of him in an instant! All revealed in the woman's eyes. He clentched his hand as all think too painful, things he wished he'd never see again, raced through. He knew. He knew exactly now.

"M-mother?" Ezio croaked.

His mother blinked, pressing her hands down to his shoulder, "Ezio, please. don't speak. We can la_."

She was cut off as thunder crashed, the guards screamed as they ran, one being sure to toss Claudia into the river! Rain plummeted down, instantly soaking him to the bone, the wind made him feel frozen. But still, he got up, his mother's fingers sliding off the wound as he charged to the river. His sister! He knew she couldn't swim well!

With a swift dive, he was beside Claudia, wrapping his arms around her and kicking toward the shore. The moment they were out, lightning hit right in fornt of them, mere inches in front of them! Claudia screamed in surprise, pressing closer. Ezio looked aorund, everyone was gone! They had all left to find shelter without them.

"Follow me, masta (move)!" He shoved CLaudia forward, stumbling after her, and where they once stood moments before was hit with a bolt of light, a crash echoed from it, rattling Ezio's skull as he shielded her under his arms.

Eyes scanning for anywhere they could shelter, he finally saw it! A broken down building would be better than nothing. He led Claudia inside, and brought her to the driest corner, still with his arm coiled aorund her protectively.

"Ezio?" His sister breathed uneasily.

Panting with exhauntion on agony Ezio responce, "Si (Yes)?"

"You're still bleeding, aren't you?"

"Si (Yes)."

Claudia pushing into his embrace as thunder crackled like cannons outside. And Ezio tried to carefully stroke her hair to comfort her with his good arm. Nothing would harm her as long as he could help it. Nothing.

"Brother," Claudia pushed away, tearing a piece of cloth form her soaking dress and pressing it to Ezio's shoulder wound. "I thought you were gone."

Ezio sighed, not knowing how to explain it. "I thought I was too. I tried to hide from pain, but it only took that musteteer shooting me to sort of snap me out of it."

"Sort of?"

"When I saw mother's face, I remembered." Ezio explained.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too." Ezio told his sister as he lightly kissed her cheek and let her go as he pulled his cloak off. He flicked his ears to remove the water, as well as his tail, then then strained the water from the dripping gray cloak only to bring a damn and severely wrinkled gardment as his outcome.

Claudia looked over behind her and twisted to reach for a stack of dusty cloth. With a strong shake, she removed the dust and wrapped it aorund Ezio, then another over her own shoulders before curling up beside him again. Ezio rested his arm around her, and sighed as he let the crackle of thunder outside sooth him to sleep.

**WOOT, Ezio's back damn it!**


	23. The cycle continues

Leonardo strained his shirt loosly, his limbs tired and his mind slow. They'd left his best friend to die! And now here they were at his workshop waiting for the storm to be over so that they can try and find their bodies. He shivered at the thought of finding Ezio and Claudia both dead on the ground. And he certainly couldn't bring himself to study their corpes. He had his limits, and dissection his best friend as the man's _sister_ was most definately out of the question.

"Why'd we have to leave him?" Leonardo asked suddenly.

Machiavelli, who had seated himself on the steps, and had his head in his hands, looked up. "We didn't have time. That storm was utter chaos. There was no time to wait."

Maria, who'd been silent as she stared down at the floor glared at him, "They were the only family I had! We should have tried!"

An overpowering shard of guilt and sympathy tore through Leonardo, the two might had been his friends, but they were the very last of the pour woman's family. Not even she deserved such pain as to loose her whole family. He came to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "You tried. And that's what matters."

"And. Another thing."

"Si (Yes)?"

"Ezio had regained himself right after being shot." Maria sighed as she looked back down.

Machiavelli and La Volpe both stood when they heard this, "_WHAT_?"

"I thought he ran out of pure animal instint and fear." Leonardo admitted.

"No, he ran to save Claudia..." Maria murmered.

The shard had now grow into one of the sharpest of blades, shreding Leonardo up on the inside as he felt his blood turn to ice. His friend barely even regained himself before dying. And he died doing something braver than any of them attempted to.

"He was born with me proud of him, and he died with me more proud than any mother would ever dream to know." Maria continued.

"I'm sure." Leonardo sighed. "I'm sorry."

Maria looked right at him, "Sorry for what? It wasn't your fault."

Leonardo shook his head. "Yes it is. If I had only cracked that confounded artifact sooner. Maybe I could have changed him back before all of this happened."

* * *

><p>Claudia woke dazily as sunlight streamed through the cracks of the ceiling. With annoyance, she realized that what had happened wasn't a dream like she'd been hoping. It was all true. She <em>was<em> captured. She _was_ saved by Ezio. And now here she was in an abandoned building with one of her brother's arms wrapping around her protectively. But even she could see that by how his jaw clentched tightly and his ear flicked that he was having an active dream.

Something seemed strange now that she thought about it, Ezio seemed to had grown surprisingly warmer from when she had fallen asleep. His hair matted down in sweat, which she'd assumed was just from purely a nightmare, seemed to bring her to a new therey. With a gentle hand to keep from waking him, she lightly place ehr palm on his forehead, only to find her suspitions confirmed.

Fever had clearly settled in. She couldn't say she was surprised either. But now wasn't the time to think about it. She'd learned that a few weeks prior to her discovering Ezio's condition that he had been cursed with a fever then. But she was sure the fact that the still bleeding wound wasn't a good sign either. With care, she striped a bit of cloth from her blanket and pressed it down to his wound. But was pushed away by one of his hands as he turned on his side as a round of raspy coughs strung from him.

When he'd settled, it became apparent that the coughing fit had roused him from his rest. The dark skin under his eyes only gave her the clue that he hadn't slept as well as she had thought. Even his usually strong and capible voice was weak and gruff as he rasped hazily. "Claudia?"

"I'm here Ezio." She assured as she whipped some grim from his cheek with her thumb.

He seemed to smile bleakly, "It's good to know my efforts weren't in vein."

Claudia shook her head, "Stop talking like that, brother. You're going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say."

Claudia sighed. "Just rest, please."

She only earned a horse chuckle from her fevered brother. "And since when did you turn into mother?"

Claudia rolled her eyes, "Just get some sleep. I'll be back soon."

Ezio nodded and moved his arm to let Claudia get up. And so she left her brother in order to find Leonardo and get help.

* * *

><p>Ezio watched his sister climb out formt he crumbled wall and tucked himself under the blankets. His head pounding like mallets to the inner walls of his skull, and dispite sweating and bleeding out probably every last drop of fluid in him, he felt strangely cold. Although he reconized it as the fever, he still felt it as unnerving.<p>

When he heard a clatter of brick from the crumbled wall, he tucked himself deeper into the blankets. Through the opening came a guard, one of which he reconized as one of Cesare's. He forced himself to keep as silent as possible, but was surprised that the pound of his heart hadn't given him away.

As the guard picked through the room, Ezio tried to skrink away as much as he could, and felt his very pulse stop as a hand wisked over his mouth from over the blanket. The fingers returned and gripped the only cover he had and tore it away, but teh shocked look on the guard's face only made him try to strink away more. The shock was quickly replaced with determination as the guard reached down to grab him.

Ezio shot up and bolted, not caring what ever condition he was in, not caring if he was unarmed. He needed to get out of there and fast! In one swift move, he pulled the hood of the cloak back on and lept out of the crumbled wall, only to find himself crash into two more guard's grip. He thrashed and fought violently to excape them, but was hit over the head for retaliating.

"Cesare's gonna like what we dug up." One of the brutes chuckled as he tightened his grip on Ezio's forearm.

"Very much so." The guard who had discovered him in the first place smiled. He got behind and binded Ezio's wrists with a tightly knotted rope, then ordered for him to be dragged over to where Cesare was hiding now.


	24. Captured

With pure stealth, Ezio slid a note into the tunic pocket of one of the borgia guards, grinning to himself. If any of his friends were to find him, they could at least know where to look. It was one of his generic letters he'd write a head of time so that someone would find it and start looking for him. But hopefully whoever found it would be the right person.

* * *

><p>Leonardo, followed by Machiavelli, La Volpe, and Maria, came to the river bank to search for the bodies. Wondering if they were bound to find them. Althought they did pass a group of Cesare's guards, they didn't pay much attention to them. Now here they were, staring at the scorch marks made by lightning to the ground.<p>

"Leonardo? Leonardo!"

He turned around swiftly before he found himself tackle hugged. The person unknown to him at first, but when she let go, he saw Claudia staring up at him.

"Claudia?" Her mother gasped in disbelif.

Machiavelli, who had come over at first notice of the comotion noted, "We thought you had been killed. And if you're alive, I hope it's safe to assume that Ezio is as well?"

Claudia nodded brightly, "Si (Yes), we had sheltered in an abandoned building to get out of the storm." She looked down to the ground, where the grass was burned black in a single spot no bigger than Leonardo's fist. She looked back up, "Ezio's still bleeding, and he's sick, no thanks to the rain. I left him in the building to look for you."

"Well where is this building?" Machiavelli asked.

Claudia smiled again, "Come, I'll show you." Before anyone had time to reply, she had already begun to walk toward the path, then up to the small district, where she ducked donw an alley and in front of a crumbled wall of an abandoned building. Leonardo could still remember when Ezio was fully a cat and had trapped himself in the ceiling, being forced to light the whole building a lit to escape. Claudia turned to them, "He's in the far corner."

Leonardo followed La Volpe and Machiavelli, Maria and Claudia behind him. But he imidiantly could tell that this place was emptier than it should have been. It wasn't long before Claudia cried.

"He's not here!" She ran outside and looked around the opening, but was less sucessful. "I know I left him here! Where could he be?"

Machiavelli's face lit up, and he was first to answer, "Those lap dog guards of Cesare's we passed by! Did they have anyone with them?"

"I may or may not have a letter from one." La Volpe responded in a chuckle as he pulled a piece of paper from his cloak. His violet eyes staring down at the writing. "Anyone here know how to break a cyfier?"

At once everyone turned to look at Leonardo, making the artist grow nervous. "Alright, let me see the letter." La Volpe handed it to him and he looked over the penmenship. With a sigh and a chuckle of pure humor, "This is Ezio's handwriting. And I know this code. I have a key at my workshop."

"Then let's go!" Machiavelli announced.

* * *

><p>"Make this easier on yourself old man!"<p>

"You clearly don't understand the consept of 'no'!"

"And you clearly haven't learned that you should tell me!"

Ezio barely whinced as Cesare scored another cut across his arm, at this point he knew he should have been conserned by how thin his blood was growing. But his mind so hazy from lacking it seemed to dull his senses. His fevered self not improving the situation.

"Tell me!"

"I won't for the last time!" Ezio was cut off in mid sentence by another coughing fit, although he couldn't do anything but turn his head, as his hands were still bound behind his back.

"Where is the Piece of Eden?" Cesare snarled venomously.

Ezio breathed short pants, unable to avoid a second coughing fit.

"I said tell me!"

"Stronzo (Asshole)!"

"Funny old man, now tell me!"

Ezio felt a hand grab the tail that he still had, and found himself staring as Cesare toyed with it as he glared at Ezio. "And what do you plan on doing? You've done enough as it is. And killing me will ensure you never having the Piece of Eden."

"So. The Apple did this to you." Cesare stated flatly, his fingers still gripping the end of the short furred tail. "It's no wonder my guards didn't find you all those weeks ago on the rooftops."

"Yes, now what's your point?" Ezio growled.

"Just tell me where it is." Cesare asked, although sounding calming the way his shoulders were tense clearly gave away that he was still aggrivatied.

"And what makes you think I will?"

Cesare perched a smile that made Ezio feeling himself grow more uncomfortable. The blade he held now drawn away, but he shoved the tail down to the table beside him and swung the sword down! Ezio clentched his jaws shut and balled his hands into fists as pain lanced through him. He took a shakey breath to see a good couple inches of his tail cut off on the wooden surface, his blood beginning to pool. "Make this easy on yourself, old man. You'll save yourself much pain if you just tell me what I need to know."

Ezio shook his head, unsure his voice would hold solid if he spoke. And once again, a segment of his tail was separated, the agony cutting through like daggers to his stomach. But even that seemed more humain then this. This was torture. Pure cold hearted torture!

"You'll save yourself much pain by telling me. So why not you fess up."

Ezio didn't respond, the blood pounding in his ears seemed to block Cesare out. But the general took this silence as another chance, he sent his sword down once more, taking off another tail segment. Ezio couldn't find the energy to scream, let alone speak, darkness from bloodloss creeping him. Threatening to take him. He knew that sleep was better than torture. And what could they do when he was alseep? There was no way he could talk that way.

* * *

><p>"I've been captured by Cesare, and I am currently being taken to a hideout not far outside of Roma. If whoever has managed to decode this cared to look, then do so quickly." Leonardo read aloud.<p>

"That narrows it down." Machiavelli noted. "And the guards were heading toward the East gate, so we know where to look."

"We should go then." La Volpe said quickly.

"Then we will."

"I'll stay here," Leonardo sighed. "I'm no use in battle. The most I can do is study this Apple. But it will be of use for when you return."

Machiavelli nodded, "Alright, Leonardo. Thank you for the decoding."

Leonardo smiled. "Bona fortuna (Good luck)."

The writer and thief waved their goodbyes as they left. In mere moments, they were dashing, ready to attack Cesare and free there friend. But they were unsure how much time they even had. Each second could be borrowed time as far as they knew.


	25. Escape plan

La Volpe stared at the building on his horse. Machiavelli beside him as they looked at this hideout of Cesare's. It seemed more or less like the Borgia had commendeered a house. But he had to hand it to him, hiding in plain sight might work, because they had almost passed by until they saw a Borgia guard making it's rounds around the house.

"We could storm inside."

"That only works if we outnumber them." Machiavelli mentioned skeptically. "With only the two of us, we're better off with something suttle."

La Volpe nodded. "Then we could steal some Borgia uniforms."

With the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile, Machiavelli nodded. "We'll take out the two watchmen. No one will notice their absense until a little later."

"And hide them a little ways form the house so that they are discovered so quickly." The thief added.

"Presissly." The writer dismounted his horse and picked up a stone, "I'll create a distraction, you get the guards. We'll take them out one at a time as they pass."

"Bene (Good)."

La Volpe took his place behind a rock as he watched Machiavelli through his stoen intot eh grass on the other side of the dirt road. The patroling guard stopped and looked where the stone fell, then begun to walk towards it, falling for the bait. La Volpe crept in behind him, and with a quick jab, he impaled the guard in the back of the head. Tearing his dagger out and bringing the guard to the side and out of sight.

The same happened for the next, and within five minutes, they changed and pretended to march their patrols around the house as a crossbow man looked suspitiously at them. Machiavelli cleverly picked up a pebble and pointed to the grass with a shrug. Clearly fooling the guard as he walked on the red tiled roof.

"Okay, now we go in, find Ezio, and get out." Machiavelli muttered.

La Volpe forced himself not to smile as he and his friend walked in, completely unsuspected of, and to the house. Once inside, they came into a hallway.

"Merda (Shit)," Machaivelli cursed. "Which room is he in?"

As they walked down the hallway, both tried to listen for any sign that'd give up where Ezio was placed. But before they got far, La Volpe actidently bumped into a passing guard! He looked up and felt his heart freeze. It wasn't a guard, it was Cesare! The general only looked at them oddly, "What are you two doing here?"

La Volpe swallowed hard, trying to think of an excuse, anything! "We heard from the guards posted to guard the prisoner that you wanted to see us."

Cesare knitted his eyebrows a moment but clentched his fists as he growled, "They must be spys! Or the real guards are dead!" He turned away grumbling to himself and Machaivelli only looked at him with utter surprise.

"How did you_?"

"Think my dear philosiper." La Volpe chuckled. "If you were in his position, he'd be easily suspitious. And the simplest reasons will set them off. Play innocent and set the blame on another, and your cover is protected."

"You seem to fit that occupation better than me if you can think that that all the time." Machiavelli noted.

It didn't take long until they heard a couple raw screams, and Cesare came back as he replaced a sword. "You two go guard the prisoner. Now."

La Volpe and Machiavelli blinked in surprise. They hadn't expected this to happen either. But Machiavelli nodded and walked down the hallway where Cesare had just come back from. And walked up a flight of stairs into a hallway about, where they quickly found an open door with a hand sprawled out limp. They came closer to see two impaled Borgia guards, and Machiavelli chuckled. "That paranoid outcast will believe anything now."

With a nod of agreement, La Volpe begun to step into the room. And took no time in finding Ezio. He wasn't sure if he was shock, horrified, impressed, or down right nervous when he saw the condition of his friend. He hung heavily against his restrains, rope that was tied around his wrists then to a metal bar in the wall. There was not an inch of him that wasn't bruised, cut, or scrapped. His tail reduced to half it's original length, and was a flat stump at the end with crusty blood ending it.

Causiously, he stepped closer, and eased a hand under his chin. He was more shocked to see he had his eyes half open, one a narrow slit and a deep purple, a trailing line of blood came from the side of his mouth opposite to his scar and down his chin. A few cuts on his jaw already scabbing.

"Ezio?"

The assasin blinked hazily, and his eyes focused on his, his hands clenching behind him. But they loosened again after a moment. "La Volpe?" His voice was crackled and raspy, but never the less, he smiled weakly. "How did you find me?"

"That note you planted." He explained as he cut the bindings off. "Now hold on, we're going to get you out of this place."

Machiavelli stood in front of the door, "Can you walk?" His question made Ezio try to stand, using the table as support, but his knees quickly buckled and he fell back down with a much unneeded thud. The assassin shook his head.

"I'll help you, alright?" La Volpe assured as he puleld Ezio back up, keeping a hand on his chest to support him. Machiavelli turned to look at them.

"I'll hold off any resistence. We could try excaping from the window if that will work."

"Can you handle that?" La Volpe asked his battered friend.

Ezio nodded subbornly. "Si (Yes), I will be fine. Just as long as there's something to take the impact."

"You're as stuborn as a mule," La Volpe chuckled.

"And you're as sly as a fox." Ezio retorted back straightly.

While they had been joking, Machiavelli had opened a window and peered outside. "This should be fine. They had a hay stack at the bottom."

"Bene (Good)," Ezio grunted.

La Volpe assisted Ezio to the window, Machiavelli already jumping out and landing into the hay. When the writer stepped out, La Volpe brought Ezio into positon. "You know what to do." Ezio seemed to nod as he pushed off form the windowsill, quickly turning forward and landing into the hay with his back down. It took Machiavelli to fish him out, but Ezio came unscaved form the fall. Finally La Volpe jumped down and landed into the hay. When he pulled himself out, he already heard someone shouting.

"THE PRISONER HAS ESCAPED!"

Machiavelli let out a whistle, and their horses came galloping in. They brought Ezio on one, then Machiavelli took the next. La Volpe was left with stealing a horse from a procuing guard and catching up. The guards did whatever they could to stop them though. Clearly reluctant to let the Auditore get away so easily.

In a matter of almost thirty minutes, they had lost them. And slowed to a trot, Ezio was able to steer his horse much better, as oposed to the chase where he kept running off road and Machiavelli had to correct him. By now, La Volpe could already see Roma's walls.


	26. A little attention

Leonardo looked up from his sketches when he heard a knock on the door, he came up to find himself staring at La Volpe, Machiavelli and Ezio! The latter leaning down on La Volpe.

"You found him!" He chirped. "Please, come in, get him settled down somewhere."

La Volpe nodded and came in with Machiavelli behind him. Once again, he would have to share his bed so that the assassin wouldn't be forced to the floor. And he couldn't dream of such for a man in his condition. The artist was careful as he begun to look the assassin over, "Machiavelli. Get that doctor who treated him for the poison. And hurry!"

The writer, who had stood in the doorway the entire time, bolted out the door and vanished into the streets. Leaving him and La Volpe to care for his battered friend.

With a harsh round of coughs, Ezio whipped his arm over his mouth to cover it, cursing as he tried to get air into his lungs between the choking coughs. When the fit settled, Leonardo noticed that his cheeks had reddened, though he wasn't sure if it was from the fever or pure embarrassment.

"La Volpe, there's a bucket under my worktable. Take that and get some water."

The thief nodded as he aquired the bucket and left. Leonardo stood and found a cloth and banadges. When La Volpe returned, he soaked the cloth and begun to clean out the wounds. Wrapping them afterwards in the bandages. Not long after, the doctor had arrived with Machiavelli.

"So where is he?" The masked man asked the writer, who pointed to Leonardo's bedroom. The doctor came in and the artist saw his eyes visibly widen at the sight of Ezio's tail and cat ears. Hadn't he noticed the first time?

"Swear you won't tell a soul about this?" Machiavelli growled.

"Si! Si! (Yes! Yes!) I won't have anyways. Now if I need anything I'll let you know. Alright?"

Leonardo sighed as he walked out, casting Ezio a worried glance.

* * *

><p>He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, but Ezio found himself hazily staring up at a beaked mask that was staring at him. With little hesitation, he gripped the beak. He knew that he shouldn't have, but he only did because he couldn't stand the overwelming pain that had been striking through him.<p>

"Signore (Sir), I cannot treat these wounds if you're holding onto my mask." The doctor told him calmly, which surprised him.

Grunting his displeaser, Ezio released the beak of the mask and allowed the doctor to continue with his work. Whincing at the strings when his wounds were cleaned and something applied to them, then finally wrapped. All a process that seemed like a lifetime to him.

The beaked man got up and left the room, leaving Ezio to stare at the guase that covered the majority of his body. His tail being sewed at the end as well as bandaged. He felt a nook that had been cut into his ear, which had been cleaned and left alone. He blinked through his good eye as he saw a jar of leeches on the nightstand. _Oh god, tell me he didn't_!

"Here's a bit of medicine for that fever of his, be sure he takes it." The doctor instructed. "And if there's anything else let me know."

"Gazie (Thank you)," Machiavelli replied in the other room.

Deciding to let it go, Ezio turned away from the leeches and reexamined himself. With care, he loosened some of the bandages aorund his abdamine, whincing at the swelling pain and nasty purpled skin that was underneath. He was pretty sure that he didn't break a rib, but there was no telling if his guess was right. As quickly as he loosene them, he wrapped the bandages back to their previous postion.

Leonardo walked into the room, and gently whipped some of Ezio's sweat soaked bangs clinging to his forehead. "You'll be alright, Ezio."

The assassin nodded to his friend. And didn't notice as Leonardo pulled the covers over him, though he did curl into them for warmth.

* * *

><p>Leonardo sighed as his friend's labored breaths soothed as he drifted to sleep. With care, he felt his forehead, acutely aware of the high fever that had taken him. He'd need to help him however he could, and he would have to start with giving him his medicine when he woke up.<p>

Curiously, he untwisted the top and sniffed the liquid inside, but whinced as the puggnent stentch of whatever it was hit his nostrils. Sadly, Ezio would have to drink it. But who knew, maybe the assassin could tough out the horrible smelling medicine.


	27. The End

Ezio groaned as his senses were returning. The very little light proved that it was only early morning. His friend should be fast asleep by now.

As he turned over, he found himself face to face with said man. He was soundlessly sleeping with a spare blanket over him. Out of pure surprise, Ezio pushed backwards to make distance form his friend, there was no way, not by any stretch of the imagination, that he'd be this close to a man in only a pair of trousers! Last time he checked, he was straight.

To his releif, Leonardo turned on his other side in his sleep, now his back to Ezio. With a shakey, still startled breath, Ezio pulled himself out of the covers, careful to keep from disturbing his friend, and came out to the main room. Seating himself on one of the stairs as he watched Antonio fidget in his rest. At least some people were back to normal.

There was a soft purr behind him, and he felt something brush the bare skin of his side. Next thing he knew, the little fluffy white kitten, Annette, made herself comfortable on his thieg. With a chuckle, Ezio whisked a fingertip behind her ear, getting a louder purr as a responce. He was now beginning to wonder if she or her littermates had forgotten about Lorenzo.

"Your brother was so young."

"I wish he was still here."

Ezio blinked in surprise. Sputtering out, "Y-you can talk?"

Annette looked up at him as she stood on his leg. "What do you mean? I always have been able to speak."

"But _cats_ don't talk!" Ezio claimed.

"Not housefolk toungue. I don't think." She mewed.

It was then, Ezio looked up to see Leonardo in the doorway to his bedroom, "Ezio what are you shouting on about?"

"Annette can talk!"

"What?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow as he paced towards them. He gently picked up the white kitten,e arning mewling protests.

"Hey! What are you_? Let me go!"

"See? Don't you hear it?" Ezio asked.

Leonardo shook his head. "No, Ezio. She's like any other cat, I only hear feline noises."

Ezio dropped an eyebrow suspitiously, "What are you implying? That I can still speak to cats or something?"

The artist chuckled. "Consitering everything, my friend, it doesn't seem that unlikely."

With a heavy sigh, Ezio pinched the bridge of his nose, "And the Apple has done nothing but made my situation worse."

"Our situation, Ezio." Leonardo stated flatly. "It's just as much my problem as it is yours. And I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Sadly for you, you're kind of sucked into it." Ezio grunted.

"I got envolved because I wanted to help." Leonardo explained calmly. He placed the kitten back down on the stairs, leaving the tiny cat to prod the stumpy end of Ezio's reduced tail. The artist chuckled as he sat down beside Ezio. "I'm sure we'll find a way to fix this."

There was a long silence, and one by one, the kittens had woke up and started batting at the assassin's waving tail playfully.

"So how's that fever?" Leonardo asked finally. "Is it going down at all?"

Ezio strugged, earning a hand to his forehead, which he tried to shrink away from. Leonardo chuckled softly as he pulled his palm away, a smile that seem absent for a lifetime crossed his face.

"Seems that it's improved. And the wounds? Are they bothering you?"

Ezio stretched a little, ignoring a few gashes that burned in protest, "They're fine. I'm feeling much better."

Leonardo patted his shoulder, "Bene (Good), then we can go out for a breif walk to the marketplace. You'll need to stretch your legs and get some fresh air anyways."

Ezio nodded. "Alright." He looked back at the door, then to his friend. "I'll need to find something to cover these ears first."

"I'm sure I might have something." Leonardo told him as he stood. When he returned to the room, he tossed a lump of white fabric, which when Ezio unclumped, he found himself staring at his assassin robes.

"Do I dare ask how you_?"

"They were torn up when Machiavelli and La Volpe found you the first time." Leonardo stated. "I needed _something_ to do when you were resting anyways."

"I swear, you could be a tailor if you felt like it." Ezio chuckled.

"Well why not you go get changed." Leonardo told him. "I'll get dressed and we can get on to the market."

Ezio stood up while Leonardo closed the door to his room, leaving him alone. In that time, he dressed himself. When hsi friend returned, he was just pulling his hood up.

"Bene (Good), let's get going." Leonardo smiled.

* * *

><p>As they stood in front of one of the stands, Ezio watched the people crowded streets. Just waiting for guards to show up. Leonardo walked away to a paint stand, leaving the assassin alone as he continued to eye the groups of civilians.<p>

Not to his surprise, a guard wretched him backwards, a hand over his mouth! He elbowed him in the stomach and was quickly grabbed by another. They were ganging up now on him, clearly they learned that alone wouldn't work. A brute grabbed his neck, pushing him to the wall as he said, "I wonder if you assassins are as hard headed as you act." He then slammed him back, darkness overtaking him.

* * *

><p>His head pounding, he reached up to his face as he groaned. He couldn't seem to force away that scent of blood... and... flowers? Now curious, he opened his eyes as he sat up, his shoulder stinging in protest. When he checked, he found a crossbow bolt lodged in his shoulder, but nothing too serious. barely poking out of the flowers, he found himself looking out at the Vanicino district. But he knew he hadn't been here since the insodent where he turned into a cat!<p>

Worried now, he reached for his ears, finding them right where they should be at the sides of his head! He was normal again? The tail! He checked that too, only to find that it was completely gone, as if it never existed! Leonardo! He'd have to know if anything happened to him!

He came out of the flower cart and sprinted his way to the artist's workshop. Though he was sure he'd break the door with his loud and forceful knocking, he was relieved to see Leonardo.

"Salute (Hello) Ezio, what's the matt-?" Ezio pulled him in a hug before he could finish. When he let go, Leonardo asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothign, my friend." Ezio answered smiling. "Do you remember what happened over the past few weeks?"

Leonardo knitted his eyebrows together, "Just that you and the other assassins finally got Cesare arrested the other day. Why?"

He sighed, "Nothing. It's just that-."

"Done lie to me, I know that something's happened. Now what is it?" Leonardo questioned. "Come inside, we'll talk about it there."

Nodding, Ezio followed him in, and started to tell him the story of everyhting that had happened to him since he woke up and found himself as a cat. Then a new thought struck his mind, "Dios mio (My god)! Claudia!" Leonardo had no time to push him farther into explaining as he already raced out and ran to teh Rosa in Fiore. When he came in and greeted his sister with no hesitation, the storm he'd witnessed while he had the cat ears and tail still hung in his mind.

"Ezio, what happened to you while you were on that mission of yours?" Claudia asked him.

With a chuckle he told her, "I realized that I'm lucky to have the family that I have."


End file.
